Former Serbian paramilitary commander Dragan Vasiljkovic entered a not guilty plea on the first day of his trial in the Croatian coastal city of Split, saying he was just protecting his homeland.
The 61-year-old from Perth is accused of torturing and killing captive Croatian soldiers and police during his time as a paramilitary commander during the conflict in the Balkans during the 1990s.
"He knew that Croatian civilians and prisoners were systematically beaten on a daily basis," prosecutor Zivana Beros told the court.
He is also accused of drawing up plans to attack police stations.
Mr Vaziljkovic told the court that former prisoners giving evidence for the prosecution during the case would give false accounts.
Related reading
Daniel Snedden indicted in Croatia for war crimes
"After those prisoners were exchanged, they were talking to the media, saying that Dragan treated them good and well," he said.
"Now, 14 years later, all of a sudden, the same people 'remembered' that I was beating them".
Mr Vasiljkovic, also known by the military nickname Captain Dragan, was born in Serbia and migrated to Australia as a teenager, taking the name Daniel Snedden.
He returned to the Balkans when Serbs took up arms against Croatia's secession from Yugoslavia in 1991.
He has always denied committing war crimes.
"There is not a single supportive fact that can support any war crimes accusations against me," he told SBS during a 2009 interview.
The one-time golf instructor went to court 13 times in an attempt to prevent his extradition from Australia.
After a 10-year battle he was finally extradited to Croatia in July 2015 where he has been kept in custody.
"I believe, as an Australian citizen, that I should have been protected by this government," he told SBS.
Mr Vasiljkovic faces a 20-year prison sentence if convicted.
With APTN, Reuters
