Rabat - Islamist inmates in Morocco's prisons Monday launched a nationwide 24-hour hunger strike to protest against prison conditions.

The hunger strikers also wanted to show solidarity with Islamists who had already refrained from eating for several days, according to the association Annasir which represents Islamist inmates.

Morocco's prisons house around 1,000 Islamists, groups of whom frequently stage hunger strikes to protest conditions such as overcrowding, type of food and restrictions on visits by family members.

The Islamists regard themselves as political prisoners who are entitled to special conditions. Some of them have also alleged torture by prison guards.

Annasir urged the Justice Ministry and the prison authorities to open a dialogue with the inmates to put an end to the hunger strikes.

The association announced a sit-in in front of the Oukacha prison in Casablanca.

Morocco stepped up the arrests of Islamists after the Casablanca suicide bombings killed 45 people in May 2003.  (dpa)