Attorneys Goran Rodic and Vladimir Petrovic suggested that the trial chamber acquit the 71-year-old general, shifting the guilt for the shelling of Dubrovnik's historical centre on 6 December 1991 onto the second indictee, Admiral Miodrag Jokic, who earlier admitted his guilt and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Strugar expressed remorse for all victims, those killed in Dubrovnik and those from JNA ranks.
"I am sorry for all the victims on all sides. I am sorry for the people who were killed in Dubrovnik, as well as for the young soldiers killed on Mt. Srdj. I am sorry I could not prevent it," Strugar said.
"In 1991, I made efforts to alleviate with my decisions and actions the horrors of war because I had experienced them from 1941 to 1945 myself," he added.
The JNA campaign against Dubrovnik lasted from October through December 1991, and the indictment covers only the destructive shelling of the Old City on 6 December, which ensued after the JNA suffered losses in an attack on Mt. Srdj that morning.
In 1991 Strugar was commander of the JNA's 2nd Operative Group which included all forces participating in the attack on Dubrovnik. Jokic was his deputy and commander of the 9th Naval Sector the Bay of Boka Kotorska.
Jokic testified for the prosecution, confirming almost all allegations from the indictment, which charged Strugar with six counts of violations of the law and customs of war, cruel treatment, attack on civilians and civilian facilities, and the destruction of religious and cultural facilities and historical monuments.
According to Strugar's defence counsel, the 6 December attack on the Old City was approved by Jokic, who did not inform Strugar of the attack because of "a parallel chain of command and duality of government".
Attorney Rodic said that Jokic took orders directly from the Main Staff, the Defence Ministry in Belgrade and the Naval District, bypassing Strugar.
Attorney Petrovic said that the combat activities of the JNA Trebinje Brigade's 3rd Battalion, from whose positions the city was shelled on 6 December, were "firmly linked to Jokic's 9th Naval Sector".
The UN tribunal ordered the commander of that unit and third indictee, JNA Captain Vladimir Kovacevic Rambo, to undergo psychiatric treatment in Serbia and Montenegro.
The chief prosecutor in the case, Susan Somers, on Wednesday requested a sentence of 13 to 15 years in prison for Strugar, judging that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt all counts of the indictment and stressing the importance of Jokic's admission of guilt.
Strugar's trial lasted from mid-December 2003 through July this year, during which the prosecution introduced 32 and the defence 21 witnesses. A large number of military documents, transcripts, video and audio recordings and other evidence was presented.
Presiding judge in the case was Kevin Parker.
Strugar surrendered voluntarily to the ICTY on 21 October 2001. At his initial appearance in court he pleaded not guilty. He was granted provisional release on 1 December 2001 pending trial.