The war crimes trial of a former Bosnian prison camp guard, now a Swedish citizen, opened in a Stockholm district court Wednesday, DPA reported.
The accused, identified as 43-year-old Ahmet Makitan, served as a guard in a prison camp in Dretelj, where Bosnian Serb civilians were held.
He is alleged to have been involved in the abduction and ill- treatment of inmates between May and August 1992, at the start of the Bosnian war that lasted until 1995.
In his opening statement to the court, prosecutor Magnus Elving said the case was unique for Sweden.
Makitan's lawyer told the court his client denies all the charges, and later told reporters his client regarded himself as a soldier who conducted guard duties but did not take part in torture.
Makitan was arrested in northern Sweden in January. The investigation into the case against him was conducted by the war crimes commission, a Swedish police unit set up 2008.
It has been cooperating with authorities in other countries and the International Criminal Tribunal for former the Yugoslavia (ICTY).
The trial was expected to last several months as many of the 21 witnesses live in other parts of the world.