The judge conducting the trial at the Municipal Court in Benkovac, Ivan Markovic, released the three men from Skabrnja but banned them from coming closer than 500 meters to Biljani Donji and closer than 100 metres to the Serb returnees whose houses were attacked.
Benkovac Municipal Prosecutor Goran Troskot had requested that the indictees be remanded in custody.
Three indictees pleaded not guilty to the charges of racial and religious discrimination.
One of them expressed regret at having thrown stones at the returnees' houses, saying that he was under the influence of alcohol. He added that his involvement was not caused by ethnic or racial hatred.
The second indictee said that he did not remember anything, while the third said that he did not take part in the incident at all, but arrived at the scene with other Skarbnja residents after they spotted fire. By that time, the police had already arrested the first two indictees, after which they arrested him as well.
His statement was backed by one of the first two indictees.
At the beginning of the trial Judge Markovic said the proceedings would be conducted swiftly because the case involved detention and because it had attracted significant media coverage.
The trial was scheduled to continue on August 24, when the owners of the stoned houses will be heard.