Six medical workers have death sentences revoked

Libya revokes HIV death sentences

The imprisonment of the medics has caused an international outcry

Death sentences on six foreign medics convicted of infecting Libyan children with HIV have been commuted to life in prison by Libya's top legal body.

The High Judicial Council ruling came after the families of the 438 children agreed a compensation deal reportedly worth $1m (£500,000) per child.

Talks are expected to open on Wednesday on the transfer of the six to Bulgaria.

The five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who were convicted in 2004, maintain their innocence.

via BBC

See earlier post

theteach

Bulgarian Nurses and Palestinian Doctor condemned to firing squad

On 11/5/06 I wrote in these pages about the Benghazi (Libya)AIDS epidemic. Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor had been condemned to death for "intentionally" (according to the government) infecting hundreds of children with HIV in a pediatric hospital in Benghazi, Libya, in the 1990s.

On December 19 the courts handed down the verdicts

Yesterday's sentence (death by firing squad) brought cheers in Libya, where there is widespread public anger over the infections.

The Libyan press has long depicted the medical workers as guilty, despite what western experts have said is overwhelming scientific evidence exonerating them.

After the sentence, dozens of relatives at the gates outside the Tripoli court chanted "Execution! Execution!"

Subhy Abdullah, whose daughter Mona, seven, died from AIDS contracted at the hospital, said: "Justice has been done. We are happy. They should be executed quickly." (Scotsman.com News)

There is no Western source of news and information which agrees with the findings of the Libyan courts.

Go to Declan Butler's blog for full information on the issue and the findings of yesterday.

the teach

Benghazi (Libya) AIDS epidemic

Have you heard of the Benghazi AIDS epidemic? If you haven't, and I think you probably haven't, I'm writing about it here for you. Give it a read...

Click this link for extended information

It is said that 5 Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor intentionally infected hundreds of children with HIV in a pediatric hospital in Benghazi, Libya, in the 1990s.

Although a number of doctors and nurses, foreign and Libyan, have been charged with negligence, some of them -- only the foreigners -- are in jail, facing the death penalty. (NY Times)

However, European governments and rights groups say the Libyan Health Ministry failed to screen blood products adequately, and allowed poor sterilization practices by the staff of Al Fateh Children's Hospital.

Two of Europe's most prominent AIDS specialists, Prof. Luc Montagnier of the Pasteur Institute, and Vittorio Colizzi, an Italian researcher, studied the epidemic and found that the foreign medical workers were less to blame than the hospital administration was.

In spite of the fact that Muammar Qaddafi has made peace with the West over the Lockerbie, Scotland, plane crash and promised reparations to families, and made a decision to rid his country of programs to develop nuclear and other unconventional weapons as well, he is facing one of the more difficult political problems of his leadership Libya.

There's a lot more to the story. Here's the link to my Google search.

And thanks to Declan Butler, senior reporter at Nature, here is a link that carries more information in one place than you'll ever find anywhere else about the Benghazi AIDS epidemic. the teach