A Tajik court has sentenced 12 members of a banned Islamic organization to prison terms of between three and 13 years.

A Dushanbe city court said Wednesday that the Hizb-ut-Tahrir adherents were jailed for hatching a criminal conspiracy and inciting racial, religious and ethnic hatred.

The court also found them guilty of calling for the violent overthrow of the government.

The defendants included a 17-year-old student and two citizens from neighboring Uzbekistan.

Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a transnational organization that advocates the establishment of a worldwide Islamic state. It enjoys widespread popularity in certain parts of Central Asia.