A fifth opposition figure has been arrested and released on bail in Malaysia.

Mohamad Ezam Noor was secretary to the country's jailed former deputy-leader, Anwar Ibrahim, and is now a leading member of the National Justice party set up by Mr Anwar's wife. He was accused of distributing classified documents. The party's vice president Marina Yusoff, was arrested on Tuesday along with the deputy leader of the Democratic Action Party, Karpal Singh, who led the legal team defending Mr Anwar.

The editor and publisher of the Islamic Party's newspaper Harakah pleaded not guilty to sedition in court today Wednesday.

The editor, Zulkifli Sulong, told the BBC that he thought the governing UNMO party was seeking revenge for opposition gains in November's general election. The South-East Asian Press Alliance expressed outrage at the arrests of the editor and publisher and demanded that the charges be dropped.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service