A court in northern Vietnam has sentenced four Hmong ethnic minorities up to seven years in prison for attempting to overthrow the communist government.

Presiding Judge Nguyen Xuan Hoa said 27-year-old ring leader Trang A Cho was sentenced to seven years in jail. Three others received three years behind bars each at the trial that lasted half a day Wednesday in Lai Chau province.

Hoa said Thursday that the court also ordered Cho to serve five years of house arrest after completing his sentence and the three others will serve three years of probation.

Police seized a platform for a Hmong state and four military uniforms for that state when the men were arrested in November 2011 and in June.