War crimes court convicts journalist of contempt
Lawyer Blogs
The U.N. Yugoslav war crimes tribunal on Monday found a former prosecution spokeswoman guilty of contempt for revealing confidential court decisions made by judges during the trial of Serbia's ex-President Slobodan Milosevic.
The court fined French national Florence Hartmann euro7,000 ($10,200) for disclosures she made in her 2007 book "Peace and Punishment," which she published after leaving her job, and again in a later magazine article.
She revealed that the court had decided in secret not to disclose Serbian military documents that could have linked the government in Belgrade to atrocities such as the Srebrenica massacre committed by Bosnian Serb forces.
The original documents — minutes of Serbia's Supreme Defense Council — are still not public. Serbia had given them to the court for Milosevic's case on the condition they be kept secret.
Some analysts believe the documents might have helped Bosnia in its failed attempts to sue Serbia for genocide. Observers of the war crimes court say it must show it is willing to enforce confidentiality agreements, otherwise states will never lend potentially sensitive documents in future cases.
Reading a summary of the ruling, Judge Bakone Moloto said Monday Hartmann had "knowingly and willfully interfered with administration of justice" by revealing the decisions.
He said that as a former spokeswoman, Hartmann was "well aware of what the confidentiality of a decision entailed."
Hartmann's lawyers had argued that the information was already common knowledge by the time she published it.
Related listings
-
High court won't extend Calif. prison deadline
Lawyer Blogs 09/14/2009The Supreme Court on Friday turned down California's request to delay a federal court order related to state prison overcrowding.The justices refused to extend a deadline beyond Sept. 18 for telling a special three-judge panel how California will red...
-
Court: Employer must pay for weight-loss surgery
Lawyer Blogs 09/11/2009The Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that a pizza shop must pay for weight-loss surgery for an obese employee to ensure the success of another operation for a back injury he suffered at work.The decision is raising concern among businesses bracing ...
-
Balsillie, NHL fight for Coyotes ownership
Lawyer Blogs 09/10/2009Finally, auction day has come for the Phoenix Coyotes. It's two days, actually.The NHL franchise is to be sold at auction in a two-day hearing that began Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in downtown Phoenix.Only two bids have been made.One by Canadi...
Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.