An Islamic court in Malaysia is reported to have jailed four people for attempting to renounce Islam and for defying a court order to repent.

The official Bernama news agency said the Shariah High Court in the north-eastern town of Kota Baru in Kelantan state found them guilty of defying an order by the Shariah Appeals Court to repent their involvement in what it called deviationist teachings.

The judge, imposing three year jail terms, said the sentence wasn't cruel and that the court wanted the three men and one woman to learn and repent.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service