The trial of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV was postponed for a second time on Tuesday to give lawyers more time to prepare evidence. "The trial is postponed to June 20 and will resume with one hearing per week to avoid tiring the defendants further," said presiding judge Mahmoud Haouissa.

Washington has long backed Bulgaria and the European Union in saying the medics, in jail in Libya since 1999, are innocent. Around 50 of the children have died and the case has fueled outrage among the families of the victims.

Defense lawyers complained about the new delay, saying they had demanded the medics be released.

"This trial has taken another direction and more than seven and a half years in detention is enough," said defense lawyer Othmane Bizanti.

Court officials said defense and prosecution lawyers still needed more time to bring documentary evidence to court and prepare lists of witnesses. The retrial had been postponed once already on May 11, with the judge saying the lawyers lacked the proper papers.

As lawyers and diplomats left the court, family members of some of the victims shouted demands for the medics to be executed and tried to jump on the iron fence surrounding the building, but were pushed back by police.