Addis Ababa, Rabi'II 5, 1438, Jan 3, 2017, SPA -- An Ethiopian court on Tuesday sentenced 20 alleged Islamists to up to five and a half years in prison on terrorism-related charges, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported according to dpa. "The defendants were found guilty of harbouring an extremist religious view, thereby opposing any other religious teachings, and also trying to establish an Islamic state in the country that will be ruled by Sharia law," the court in Addis Ababa was quoted as saying. Nineteen of the defendants, including a journalist working for a Muslim radio station, were handed jail terms of five and a half years under the east African country's controversial anti-terrorism law. One defendant, also a journalist, was only given 4 years and 5 months because of his poor health. Defence lawyer Mustafa Safi described the verdict as "unfair" and said his clients had suffered "bad treatment" in prison, where they were not allowed to pray. He vowed to appeal against the sentence. --SPA 19:58 LOCAL TIME 16:58 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w305630