By Virginia Savova Sofia, Bulgaria

Protesters gathered outside the Libyan embassy in Sofia

Bulgarians have reacted with shock and disbelief to the death sentences passed by a Libyan court on five Bulgarian nurses.

They have widely disputed the Libyan court's verdict that the nurses deliberately infected Libyan children with the HIV virus.

Ordinary people who had followed the case gathered silently in the cold December morning in front of the Libyan embassy in Sofia, waiting to hear the court's decision.

Their hopes of a not guilty verdict were dashed. After news of the sentences, people filed away silently.

Among them was the nurse Kristiana Valcheva's mother, Zorka Anachkova.

Broken-hearted

She said she had expected the death sentences.

It wasn't enough that they had sentenced innocent people, but now they confirmed it. Polina Dimitrova Daughter of condemned nurse

"I feel so bad that I have to take medicine in order to survive all this today," said Ms Anachkova.

"We are all heart-broken. Can anyone tell me what evil has Kristiana ever done?" she added.

The sister-in-law of Tsvetanka Siropoulo, Valentina Siropoulo, was certain the medics would be released, but it would take time.

"It is so sad that so many years have passed and they are still in jail," Ms Siropoulo said.

According to Gergana Grigorova, Tsvetanka Siropoulo's cousin, Libya was continuing to blackmail Bulgaria.

In her opinion the medics were hostages of Colonel Gadaffi.

"It's bad news, but we expected the death sentences to be confirmed," Ms Grogorova said.

"This is such an injustice," said Polina Dimitrova, daughter of the nurse Snezhana Dimitrova.

"I simply cannot believe that such a thing can happen. It wasn't enough that they had sentenced innocent people, but now they confirmed it.

"I can only imagine how the medics feel at that moment - they must be crushed," said Ms Dimitrova.

Media frenzy

The news has dominated the headlines in the local media.

Television, radio stations and websites are all reporting on the reaction of the medics' relatives, the Bulgarian authorities and the international community.

Bulgarian president Georgi Parvanov condemned the sentences

Vladimir Chukov, an Arabic affairs expert, said Bulgaria should continue insisting on the innocence of the medics.

"The Bulgarian defence is very well organized and has already gathered experience. There must be a total mobilization and all additional means and allies must be used."

The journalist Velislava Dureva is one of the organisers of processions in many cities in Bulgaria, and a concert in the capital Sofia aimed at highlighting the nurses' plight.

'Clash of civilisations'

She portrayed the verdict of the Libyan court as proof of the fact that the Libyan regime cared only for its own survival.

"In my opinion, what we experience now is a clash not just between civilizations, but between the law and the lawlessness and between the democracy and the dictatorship," said Ms Dureva.

Her opinion is shared by many Bulgarian internet users, as can be seen by the comments made in Bulgarian websites.

In a comment published in the website Mediapool, an unnamed Bulgarian puts the blame on Colonel Gadaffi.

"So, this is the terror - to pump the psychological pressure permanently and to the limit, asking for many millions under the pretext of justice," wrote the website user.

Other users blame the Bulgarian government and its senior staff, describing them as heedless to the fate of the medics.

More people are expected to express their anger when they gather again today in front of the Libyan embassy in Sofia, following an appeal made by the Bulgarian nationalist party Ataka.