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Libyans clash with police over detained lawyer, source says

From Tim Lister, CNN
Groups of protesters gathered to demonstrate both for and against the government of Moammar Gadhafi on Wednesday.
Groups of protesters gathered to demonstrate both for and against the government of Moammar Gadhafi on Wednesday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: A highly-placed source says "there is nothing serious here"
  • Protesters in the coastal city of Benghazi chant anti-government slogans, a source tells CNN
  • Some are arrested after a confrontation with police
  • Libya's government organizes demonstrations in favor of Moammar Gadhafi

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(CNN) -- Libyan police clashed with protesters chanting anti-government slogans and demanding the release of a human rights activist early Wednesday, an independent source in the country told CNN.

Up to 200 protesters in the coastal city of Benghazi were supporting human rights activist and lawyer Fathi Terbil, who had been detained earlier, the source said.

Several people were arrested after police confronted the protesters, the source added.

However, a highly placed Libyan source close to the government sought to downplay the reports of unrest. The source asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

"There is nothing serious here," the highly placed source said. "These are just young people fighting each other ... There is no police, no security in Benghazi."

The source characterized the clashes as "street fights" and said they were "not political."

"Libya is not Egypt... This is not an organized revolution," he said.

Meanwhile, demonstrations in support of long-time Libyanleader Moammar Gadhafi took place in several cities Wednesday, including Benghazi, the country's state news agency reported.

CNN's independent source said the government mobilized thousands of people in several Libyan cities early Wednesday, and is conveying the message that while grievances will be addressed, calls for the regime's overthrow will not be tolerated.

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Some users of social media reported that websites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were becoming hard to access in Libya, but other sources told CNN the sites were accessible. Some on social media are calling for demonstrations Thursday.

The protests in the north African country come amid a wave of unrest that is sweeping the region and has toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.

It is not clear if Terbil, the lawyer, has been released, but the source expects that he will be. The government is anxious to reduce the risk of further confrontation, the source said.

Terbil represents the families of prisoners killed in a massacre by security forces at the Abu Slim jail in Tripoli, Libya's capital, in 1996.

The source also confirmed that some 100 members of the Libyan Islamist Fighters Group are due to be released later Wednesday as part of a long process of reconciliation between the group -- which once supported al Qaeda -- and the government. The releases began last year. Wednesday's release will be the final batch of prisoners.

CNN's Zain Verjee contributed to this report.