25 police officers sentenced for prison massacre

BRASILIA - A Brazilian court sentenced 25 police officers to 624 years in jail on Saturday for the killing of dozens of inmates in the country's bloodiest prison riot in which 111 people died two decades ago.

Military police stormed Sao Paulo's Carandiru prison in 1992 to quell a riot sparked by a fight between two rival gangs that started with a quarrel during a soccer game.

The revolt ended in a massacre that exposed the harsh conditions of prisons in Brazil and the rest of Latin America. It became the subject of a 2003 hit film.

The court said in a statement the police officers were found guilty of the murder of 52 inmates, but will allow them to appeal the decision while still free.

Prosecutors said the officers, who belong to the elite unit of the military police in Sao Paulo, fired more than 300 rounds at the inmates during the riot.  

The sentencing on Saturday is the latest in a series of separate trails of police officers accused of executing inmates during the 1992 massacre.

In April, a court sentenced a separate group of 23 police officers to 156 years in prison for their part in killing 13 inmates during the same massacre.

More police officers are also accused of killings and are expected to go on trial later this year.