A new round in the ‘war of nerves’ with Libya over the case of the five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for intentional HIV infection had begun.

Neither the international protests, nor the ideas for financial aid for Libya’s healthcare system had had any effect on the position of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddaffi on the case, German weekly magazine Der Spiegel said.

Libya’s leader is firm so far and says that any country which doubts Libya’s judicial system will suffer economic sanctions.

As a result Bulgarian Prosecution prepares a trial against 11 Libyan officers who allegedly tortured the nurses to confess. The self-confessions were among the main arguments of Libyan court to find the nurses guilty for the infection.

Der Spiegel said that one of the Libyan officers to be sued was investigated for murder of another nurse in 2000. The murder was covered up as traffic accident.

Bulgaria takes part in the attempts for the release of the nurses. A civil initiative committee offered the nurses to be nominated for Members of the European Parliament, Der Spiegel said.

Another idea was for the nurses to be changed for volunteer prisoners, the report said.