The panel of judges at the Malang District Court maintained the five defendants had violated the criminal code by forcefully breaking up a council meeting.

Sisingamangaraja University students executive board leader Anju Naibaho and his colleague Urat Sihombing received a five-year jail sentence, while the two other students, Fernando Situ-morang and Rizon Manallu, were sentenced to three years each.

Presiding Judge Asmui said Naibaho and Sihombing had incited the riot by fomenting anger amongst supporters of the petition to form the Tapanuli province. Their actions eventually lead to the ensuing chaos and the legislative speaker's death.

"Their speeches inflamed the crowd who turned violent, especially when they were inside the plenary hall.

"The defendants continued to provoke the crowd by yelling *Hail to Tapanuli' repeatedly," said Asmui.

Asmui added that the chaos both defendants instigated also damaged a number of meeting facilities inside the plenary hall.

Based on data from the council secretariat, the violent rally at the legislative building caused Rp 350 million (about US$35,000) worth damages.

However, the sentences handed down were more lenient than the those initially demanded by the prosecutors. The judges also handed down different sentences to the five defendants.

Street vendor Joko Subiakto was sentenced to three years and six months, instead of the seven years prosecutors earlier demanded.

Judge Indra Waldy said Subiakto had stopped the plenary session, after he was lured by other demonstrators to join the rally at the legislative building.

As they arrived at the council building, Joko and the other demonstrators yelled and jostled with security guards and police personnel.

He and the crowd broke down the main entrance of the building and besieged the plenary hall, thus forcefully breaking up the councilors' meeting.

In response to the court rulings, the defendants immediately filed for appeal, while prosecutors said they were considering their next move.

Out of 69 accused of crimes in relation to the incident, the number of people now convicted has risen to 29.

In a separate trial, prosecutors demanded an eight-year sentence for Gelmok Samosir, who acted as the field coordinator for supporters of the Tapanuli province.

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