UN war crimes court fines Kosovo journalist €7,000 for publishing name of protected witness

The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal convicted and fined an award-winning journalist €7,000 (US$11,000) Thursday for publishing the name of a witness who testified anonymously in the trial of Kosovo's former prime minister. Baton Haxhiu, editor of the daily Kosovo Express, was convicted of contempt of court for endangering the witness and his family. The witness had testified at the trial of former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj under a pseudonym and with his face and voice distorted. Haradinaj was acquitted of all charges of war crimes allegedly committed in 1998 against Serbs and their supporters in Kosovo. Judges said his trial was overshadowed by repeated cases of witness intimidation. Haxhiu pleaded not guilty to contempt of court. He argued that the witness' identity was already known. Presiding judge Alfons Orie... [read full story]