Morocco's Islamic opposition leader is realeased

The Moroccan justice minister, Omar Azziman, has announced that the Islamic opposition leader, Abdessalam Yassine, has been released, after more than ten years under house arrest.

Mr Azziman told Moroccan television that the opposition leader was -- as he announced recently in the parliament -- as free in his movements as any other citizen.

Mr Yassine's daughter told journalists that the police guards outside his house had been removed.

Mr Yassine is the leader of an unrecognised association called Justice and Good Deeds.

He was last released from house arrest in 1995, but restrictions were re-imposed on him after a few days.

Hen said on Monday that he was planning to leave his house on Friday to pray in a mosque.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service