War crimes tribunal to free journalist held for contempt

The UN war crimes tribunal ICTY is releasing French journalist Florence Hartmann from custody. Hartmann was arrested in The Hague on Thursday while waiting for the verdict against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. A statement by the tribunal said that Hartmann will be released early because of her "exemplary conduct" and because she served more than two thirds of her sentence, BBC reports. Hartmann's lawyer, Guenael Mettraux, told news wire AFP that she "will be relased today. I just spoke with her and she is gathering her things together". He added that she is "very happy." The French journalist was arrested over a 2009 conviction for contempt of the tribunal, after she disclosed confidential information. She was initially sentenced to pay a 7 thousand euro fine, but the sentence changed to 7 days in prison after the money was not received. Hartmann insists she paid the money into a French account.