Former Serbian paramilitary commander Dragan Vasiljkovic went on trial for war crimes Tuesday in Croatia’s Split Court [official website]. Dragan is accused [N1 report, in Croatian] of torturing and murdering civilians and prisoners during the Croation War for independence [GlobalSecurity backgrounder]. Some of the crimes of which he is accused include crimes of aggression that resulted in the destruction of civilian homes, the deaths of a reporter and the murder of prisoners. He has staunchly denied the accusations, claiming he was a defender of his homeland.

In July the 61-year-old pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to the charges of “war crimes” brought against him. Vasiljkovic was first arrested in Australia in 2006, following an extradition request from the Croatian government. Vasiljkovic had challenged extradition at least 13 times, but in 2012 the Australian Minister for Justice formally approved Vasiljkovic’s extradition to Croatia [JURIST report]. The Serbian commander was officially indicted [JURIST report] for war crimes in January of this year.