Dozens Dead in Libyan Protests
BBC News reports:
At least 24 people have been killed in anti-government protests in Libya in recent days, rights activists say.
Many others were wounded in the clashes between security forces and protesters, the US-based Human Rights Watch said.
Protests continued overnight with thousands on the streets of the eastern city of Benghazi, where there is now a heavy military presence, witnesses said.
Large protests are uncommon in Libya, where dissent is rarely allowed.
Pro-democracy protests have recently swept through several Arab nations, with the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt forced from power amid growing unrest.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says violent confrontations are reported to have spread to five Libyan cities in demonstrations so far, but not yet to Tripoli, the capital, in any large numbers.
Our correspondent says the reports reflect an extremely tough government response, including the use of gunfire and even denying supplies to hospitals.
Funerals of some of those killed are expected to be held on Friday in Benghazi and al-Bayda, which correspondents say could spur more protests.
Activists set up camps in al-Bayda after Thursday's "Day of Rage" protest against the government, witnesses said.
Eyewitnesses believe that the death toll could be even higher, our correspondent says.
Activists supporting Libya's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, have also been out on the streets in Tripoli, chanting pro-government slogans in Green Square.
Col Gaddafi briefly visited the square in the early hours of Friday, according to images aired by state TV, AFP news agency reports.
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