The retrial of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the Aids virus resumed on Tuesday.
All six defendants were present to hear what defence lawyer Thaman al-Bizanti said would be the testimony of a young girl who was among those infected.
The retrial, which began on May 11, has only heard from prosecution witnesses so far. Ten witnesses are expected to testify for the defence but they have not yet appeared in court.
An initial trial in the eastern city of Benghazi condemned the six to death by firing squad in May 2004 in a case that has strained ties between Tripoli and Sofia.
The accused were first detained in 1999, and Libya’s supreme court ordered a retrial after an appeal in December.
The nurses and doctor, who worked in a hospital in Benghazi, were accused of having infected 426 children with HIV, of whom 52 have since died of Aids.
During police interrogations, two of the nurses apparently confessed, but later testified in court that they had done so under torture. All six defendants have asserted their innocence.
The court has repeatedly refused requests by the defence for bail, citing insufficient guarantees. — Sapa-AFP