The father of two members of Bahrain's handball team says they have been jailed for 15 years for taking part in anti-government protests in the Gulf nation.

Mohammed and Ali Mirza were found guilty Monday of being part of a group of demonstrators who burned down a farm owned by a member of the ruling family. A military court in Bahrain also found the brothers guilty of possessing weapons and stealing money.

The father of the players, Mirza Salman Abdulla, told The Associated Press the charges were "nonsense" and that they did not take part in the demonstrations by Bahrain's Shiite majority against the Sunni dynasty.

The brothers, who played at the handball world championship in January, were among 150 sportsmen targeted as part of the crackdown on protesters.