A Croatian journalist pleaded not guilty to contempt of court before a United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Friday, having previously defied an order to travel to the Netherlands to face the charge.
The Hague tribunal for ex-Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted Josip Jovic, former editor-in-chief of the daily Slobodna Dalmacija, for revealing the identity of a protected court witness, a high-ranking Croatian policeman.
Jovic is one of six Croats, five of them journalists, indicted by the ICTY on the same charge.
The others appeared before the court in September to enter pleas but Jovic refused, prompting his arrest by Croatian police in the coastal city of Split last week.
To cut short his prison stay, Jovic's lawyers asked the Split county court to allow Jovic to go to The Hague as soon as possible, without any further judiciary procedure in Croatia.
Jovic had intended to complain to the Supreme Court.
"The Split court has ordered me to go to The Hague, and I shall respect that," Jovic told Croatian television this week. The contempt charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison or a 100,000 euros ($119,800) fine.
Jovic's indictment over alleged contempt in 2000 relating to a witness in the war crimes case against General Tihomir Blaskic, wartime Croat militia commander in central Bosnia, drew protests from journalists and rights groups.
"By fighting for my rights, I've tried to fight for the principles of the rule of law. I am glad I prompted some public debates about the tribunal's authority," Jovic told the television.
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