Two Uyghur men in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region recently stood trial for using religion as a tool to marry two underage girls, Xinjiang Daily reported.

Arufjan Mahmut and Abduwayit Wahab stood trial on April 16 at the people's court in Yining under the charge of raping two girls under the age of 14. Mahmut was sentenced to seven years in jail and Wahab to eight.

According to the newspaper, the two men "got married" with the help of two local imams, who read Islamic wedding vows to the "brides" and approved the marriages according to religion. 

The imams were found guilty by the court for breaking China's Marriage Law, which stipulates that women must be at least 20 years old to get married. They were also sentenced to seven years in jail.