Assad Lifts State of Emergency

BBC reports:

Syria's government has lifted the country's decades-old state of emergency as protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad continue.

The state security court, which handled the trials of political prisoners, has been abolished while a new law allowing peaceful protests has been approved.

The repeal of the emergency law was a key demand of protesters.

Earlier, unverified footage from the western city of Homs appeared to show security forces opening fire.

The country's interior minister has urged people to refrain from taking part in rallies in the interests of safety and stability.

Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar told people "to refrain from taking part in all marches, demonstrations or sit-ins under any banner whatsoever", in remarks carried by the official news agency, Sana.

He warned that if demonstrations were held, "the laws in force in Syria will be applied in the interest of the safety of the people and the stability of the country".

The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones says the apparently contradictory moves suggest that a major debate is going on at highest levels of Syrian politics.

The indications are that the lifting of the state of emergency will not be enough to satisfy the protesters, our correspondent adds.

Activists say about 200 Syrians have died in weeks of unrest challenging the rule of President Assad.