A Tripoli court has adjourned the trial of five Bulgarian medics for October 31 after the Bulgarian defence lawyer Osman Bizanti did not show up.

In the words of the defence of the Palestinian doctor, Osman Bizanti was hospitalized early Thursday morning due to increased blood pressure, Evgenia Marcheva from Darik News reported.

Under Libyan legislation, a court hearing cannot proceed in the absence of the defendants' lawyers.

Thursday's adjournment dispels hopes that the court will pronounce its final decision soon, as this should have been the last hearing of pleadings.

Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor are on a re-trial over charges of intentionally infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.

The medics have been jailed since 1999 on charges of infecting 426 Libyan children with AIDS-contaminated blood.

Bulgarians Snezhana Dimitrova, Nasya Nenova, Valentina Siropolu, Christiana Valcheva, Valia Cherveniashka and Palestinian Ashraf Alhajouj have pleaded not guilty and said they had been beaten or tortured to make them confess.

After they were once found guilty and sentenced to death by a firing squad, a higher court ordered a retrial.

So far the retrial hasn't been just and fair as the world hoped with defence witnesses and experts waived off. Several international organizations have expressed bitter disappointment with Libya's justice system.

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