Libya to free 110 Islamist militants from jail

Hundreds of Libyan protesters have taken to the streets of the country's second largest city to demand the government's ouster in the first sign that the region's unrest has spread to the North African Arab nation.

A local human rights activist, meanwhile, told Reuters that Libyawill release 110 prisoners jailed for membership of banned militant organisation the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.

The prisoners are the last members of the group still being held and will be set free from Tripoli's Abu Salim jail, chairman of the Libya Human Rights Association Mohamed Ternish told Reuters.

Hundreds of alleged members of the group have been freed from jail after it renounced violence last year.

Witnesses say protesters in the port city of Benghazi chanted slogans Wednesday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi. There were no calls, however, for longtime leader Moammar Gaddafi to step down.

As in the Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings, Libyans are using social networking websites like Facebook to call for a day of protests on Thursday.

Libyan state television said separately that rallies were being held across the oil exporting country on Wednesday in support of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The online edition of Libya's privately-owned Quryna newspaper, which is based in Benghazi, said the crowd were armed with petrol bombs and threw stones.

It said they protested outside a local government office to demand the release of a human rights activist, and then went to the city's Shajara square where they clashed with police and government supporters.

It said the rioting was now over and that government supporters had taken over the square. Fourteen people were injured including 10 police officers, but none of the injuries were serious, the newspaper said.

A Benghazi resident contacted by Reuters said the people involved in the clashes were relatives of inmates in Tripoli's Abu Salim jail, where militants and government opponents have traditionally been held.

"Last night was a bad night," said the witness, who did not want to be identified.

"There were about 500 or 600 people involved. They went to the revolutionary committee (local government headquarters) in Sabri district, and they tried to go to the central revolutionary committee ... They threw stones," he said.

"It is calm now."

Libyan state television showed footage of a rally in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, of government supporters.(TRIPOLI (Agencies))