Three residents from nearby Skabrnja were released from custody yesterday, while the fourth, Ivan Duspara, was retained because his attorney did not appear at the first hearing. The court separated proceedings against him and his trial began today.
Duspara and the other three were accused of stoning four houses owned by Serb returnees in the early morning of July 25. He was accused of having driven the three in a van from Skabrnja to Biljani Donji.
Duspara said he only drove the three Skabrnja residents but did not take part in the stoning. He said they planned to go to nearby Smilcic but stopped in Biljani Donji to relieve themselves. He said he remained in the van and did not know what the other three did as he waited.
The trial of the three, Zoran Bilaver, Ljubo Basic, and Denis Zilic, resumes on August 24, when the houses' owners will be questioned.
A judge ruled yesterday that the three must not come closer than 500 m to Biljani Donji and closer than 100 m to the owners of the stoned houses.
The four men were charged with racial and religious discrimination.