Twelve well-trained troops wore masks as they broke into Cebongan prison in Yogyakarta province, on the main island of Java, on March 23, seeking out four men being held on charges of killing another member of their special unit, known as Kopassus.
After torturing and forcing several guards to open the jail cell, they shot the inmates with automatic weapons and destroyed surveillance cameras.
However, police said the four inmates who were killed were gang members, and some local residents believed the soldiers were deterring other thugs who have created disturbances in Yogyakarta, an ancient province and a tourist destination. They staged rallies during the trials, calling on the court to free the defendants.
The 12 soldiers were tried in four groups at the military court in Yogyakarta.
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"Their actions have damaged the image of the Indonesian military," Sasmito said.
Prosecutors had sought 12 years for Simbolon, who could have received the death penalty, and eight and 10 years behind bars for the other two.
But a three-judge panel said it considered the soldiers' service time in the military and their confessions of wrongdoing in deciding on the sentences.
In a separate trial, five other soldiers were sentenced today to 21 months in jail.
The verdicts for four other soldiers are scheduled to be handed down tomorrow.
Kopassus troops have been implicated in a range of crimes and human rights violations over the years, but officials say they have worked to address the problem.