War trial of 2 former Serb security chiefs begins

The trial got under way after judges at the U.N. Yugoslav war crimes tribunal ruled that one defendant could watch proceedings via video from his cell.

Doctors said that Jovica Stanisic is suffering from severe depression and kidney stones, and warned he was too ill to attend his trial. The other defendant, Franko Simatovic, was in court for the trial's opening.

The trial had been postponed four times in recent weeks amid concerns about Stanisic's health.

After hearing testimony behind closed doors, presiding judge Patrick Robinson said the trial could start, despite a warning that the case "could harm the health of the accused." He said Stanisic's condition would be closely monitored.

Stanisic's lawyer, Geert-Jan Knoops, said having a defendant watch proceedings via video from a cell block was unique in international law and argued it would hinder his ability to defend his client.

The defendants each face five counts of murder, persecution, forced deportations and inhuman acts during the 1991-95 Balkan wars. They have both pleaded not guilty and face life sentences if convicted.

Prosecutors allege they set up notorious paramilitary units like Arkan's Tigers and the Scorpions, who rampaged through villages in Croatia and Bosnia, driving out or murdering non-Serbs.

Stanisic and Simatovic were close aides to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who prosecutor Dermot Groome described as the "driving force" behind the campaign.

Milosevic died in his cell in 2006 before the end of his U.N. trial on genocide charges for atrocities committed during the Balkan wars. The case against Stanisic and Simatovic is one of the last chances for the U.N. court to hold high-ranking members of his regime accountable for crimes they allegedly committed.