Oslo trial for Bosnia war suspect

A Bosnian-born man has pleaded not guilty in Norway's first war crimes trial since the end of World War II.

Mirsad Repak, now a Norwegian citizen, is accused of having mistreated civilian detainees during the Bosnian conflict in 1992.

At the time he was a member of the paramilitary Croatian Defence Forces.

The charges relate to the imprisonment of Bosnian Serbs, mainly at the Dretelj detention camp. Norway brought in new laws in March to deal with war crimes.

The new laws cover crimes against humanity, genocide and terrorism. They abolish any statute of limitations and are retroactive.

Defence lawyers are demanding the case be dismissed, arguing that the laws are unconstitutional.