A number of retired soldiers from the world's largest standing army have been jailed for their role in rare protests pushing the ruling Chinese Communist Party to deliver better veteran benefits.

At least 18 veterans were sentenced for up to six years in prison for organizing allegedly violent protests last year. Courts in Weifang in the Shandong province and Xuzhou in the Jiangsu province handed down the rulings, according to a report published Friday by the official Xinhua News Agency and carried by the Chinese Justice Ministry. The Associated Press put the total number of those sentenced for the demonstrations at 47.