Martic, 60, is charged with war crimes against Croatian civilians committed in Serb-occupied areas of Croatia from 1991 to 1995, crimes against non-Serbs committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994, and missile attacks on Zagreb in May 1995.
He is charged with individual and command responsibility for crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war, including persecution on political, racial and religious grounds, extermination, murder, imprisonment, torture, inhumane acts, cruel treatment, deportation, forced displacement, plunder of public and private property, destruction of towns and villages, and attacks on civilians.
The 19-count indictment says that Martic was one of the key participants in a joint criminal enterprise the aim of which was to ethnically cleanse occupied areas of Croatia in order to annex them to a single Serb-dominated state which, according to plans of the Milosevic regime in Belgrade, was to have been created after the disintegration of the Yugoslav federation.
Martic held various leadership positions in the so-called Serb Autonomous District of Krajina, which was later renamed Republic of Serb Krajina (RSK), including the posts of minister of the interior and minister of defence. He served as president of the RSK from 1994 to 1995, when the rebel forces were defeated by the Croatian army in Operation Storm.
The prosecution, led by Alex Whiting, announced it would call 63 witnesses and tender into evidence a large number of documents, transcripts, and audio and video recordings.
The trial is taking place before a trial chamber presided by Judge Bakone Justice Moloto of South Africa.
The crown witness against the accused will be Milan Babic, former political leader of the rebel Serbs in Croatia, who has admitted to the crimes against Croats and has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
During his opening statement Prosecutor Alex Whiting said that the result of ethnic campaign was that by 1995 all non-Serb population was expelled from or killed in the occupied areas of Croatia.
All the time Martic enjoyed critical assistance and support from top officials of the Serbian Interior Ministry, Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic and through them from Serbian and Yugoslav President at the time, Slobodan Milosevic, the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor also broadcast TV footage from 1991 showing Martic addressing a rally. On that occasion Martic said that he was proud of being Milosevic's man saying that Milosevic was a great statesman and one of the best politicians in the world" and with whom he said he was fighting for an united Serb state.
Outlining the genesis of the Serb rebellion in Croatia, the prosecutor emphasised a high degree of organisation and co-ordination of the rebellion. In this context he spoke about the launching of a campaign of intimidation among Serbs, secret arming of Serbs, the declaration of great parts of Croatia as being "Serb autonomous regions", the seizure of power in Serb-populated municipalities, the provocation of conflicts with the Croatian police and engagement of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in the clashes, all of which led to the occupation of one third of Croatia's territory.
In occupied territory systematic cleansing of Croats and other non-Serbs was at work, their property was plundered and destroyed, civilians were killed, detained and deported and Catholic churches were also systematically destroyed, the prosecutor went on to say.
He also showed in the courtroom footage of consequences of the missile attacks on the Croatian capital of Zagreb on 2 and 3 May 1995 when seven residents were killed and over 300 were wounded.
He quoted Martic as having threatened to order missile attacks on Zagreb during a meeting with the then U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, in 1994 when they were negotiating a peace plan.
The first witness out of 63 whom the prosecution has announced, will take the witness stand on 16 January 2006. Whiting introduced him today as a high-profile political figure with the insight in events in the so-called Republic of Srpska Krajina.
Martic has been in the Scheveningen detention unit of the ICTY since 15 May 2002 when he turned himself to the UN war crimes tribunal.