Fifteen Colombian soldiers convicted of killing 10 anti-narcotics policemen and one civilian have received prison terms of 50 years and over, according to local media reports Monday.
The Fourth Criminal Court in Cali, of Valle del Cauca department in western Colombia, sentenced Col. Byron Cabriel Carvajal to 54 years and Second Lt Harrison Eladio Castro to 52 years in prison. Thirteen other soldiers received 50-year terms each.
Over 30 witnesses testified in court that Carvajal had ordered his troops to kill the victims in an ambush in Jamundi town on the night of May 22, 2006.
The policemen were lured to a medical center by an informant who had told them about a cache of cocaine there. When the police arrived, the soldiers gunned them down, along with the informer. No drugs were found.
While the verdict did not indicate the motive for the slaughter, the chief prosecutor said the soldiers were involved in local drug-trafficking.
The defendants' attorney said his clients will appeal to Colombia's Supreme Court against the verdict.
Source:Xinhua
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