Jakarta – An Indonesian court sentenced an army captain yesterday to three years in jail and 11 of his subordinates to two years each for their roles in a 1984 military massacre of Muslim protesters in Jakarta.

Captain Sutrisno Mascung was "clearly and convincingly guilty" of gross human rights abuses for his role in the deaths of up to 24 people in Jakarta's Tanjung Priok district, said Chief Judge Andi Samsan Nganro.

The ad hoc human rights court in the Indonesian capital also ordered the state to pay compensation of 1.015 billion rupiah (S$188,000) to victims.

The verdicts came a week after the same court cleared Major-General Sriyanto Muntarsan, now head of the military's elite Kopassus special forces, of ordering the shootings.

Former major-general Pranowo, who headed Jakarta's military police in 1984, was also found not guilty of failing to prevent the torture of Muslim activists during the Priok incident.

Those verdicts were condemned by human rights groups which said Indonesia lacked the nerve to bring powerful military figures to book for atrocities committed during the 32-year reign of former dictator Suharto.

Following yesterday's sentencing, all 12 defendants lodged appeals, as did prosecutors, who had demanded 10 years for Mascung.

Mascung told reporters after the verdict: "Whoever was in my shoes at the time would have done what I did then, which was to defend myself. We were not confronted but we were surrounded by a mob armed with sharp weapons."

The trials were Indonesia's second bid to bring soldiers to court for rights abuses after the trials of 18 defendants charged with atrocities surrounding Timor Leste's 1999 independence vote.

However, out of the 18, only Timor Leste's former governor Abilio Jose Soares and former militia leader Eurico Guterres were found guilty. All active and retired military officers were cleared.

Rights activists have condemned the trials as a sham and called for a United Nations-backed global tribunal to prosecute those involved in the atrocities.