ICTY: Hartmann refuses to enter plea

During the course of her second appearance before the Chamber of the Hague Tribunal, Florence Hartmann, former spokesperson of the Hague Prosecution, refused to enter a plea, so the Court determined that “the indictee pleaded not guilty to the two counts contained in the indictment”.

In August 2008 the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, charged Florence Hartmann with having disclosed confidential data pertaining to the Appellate Chamber’s decisions in the case against Slobodan Milosevic, in her book “Peace and Punishment”, published in 2007, and in an article on “Hidden Key Documents on Genocide”, written in 2008.

She is charged with contempt of court.

Hartmann refused to enter a plea during her first appearance before the Court on October 28. William Bourdon, her legal representative, explained that one of the reasons for her decision was the fact that he was not sure whether he would be able to represent her, because her financial situation had still not been assessed.

Judge Carmel Agius informed both parties that he had determined that the indictee’s “financial status was poor”, so Bourdon would be representing her.

At this hearing the start date of the trial of Florence Hartmann was discussed. Although it was not said when exactly the trial might start, it was suggested that it may happen in January 2009.

Both parties to the proceeding announced that they would need a day or a day and a half for evidence presentation, including examination of witnesses and introduction of material evidence.