The four men, of whom three are from the village of Skabrnja and one from the village of Smilcic, are charged with stoning four Serb houses in the nearby village of Biljani Donji and setting a fire in front of one of them, thus committing the crime of racial and religious hatred.
The hearing started in the case of the three Skabrnja residents, but not in the case of the fourth indictee from Smilcic since his attorney did not show up in court. The indictee from Smilcic is charged with aiding and abetting the other three indictees.
All four pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Municipal prosecutor Goran Troskot asked that the three Skabrnja residents be given a prison sentence of one and a half years.