24 Sierra Leonean soldiers are sentenced to long prison terms for failed coup. One gets 120 years

Associated Press

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — A Sierra Leonean military court has convicted 24 soldiers of their roles in last year’s attempted coup. The soldiers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, some for up to 120 years. They faced up to 88 counts on charges of murder, mutiny, communicating with the enemy and willful damage to public or service property among others. Dozens of gunmen at the time broke into the country’s armory in the capital city and into a prison where the majority of the more than 2,000 inmates were freed. Friday’s verdict comes two weeks after a local court sentenced 11 civilians for their role in the attempted coup.