AEGiS-AFROL: Bulgaria requests convicted medics from Libya

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Bulgaria requests convicted medics from Libya

afrol News - July 18, 2007

Bulgarian authorities will soon write to their Libyan counterparts, requesting the return of the six convicted medics. Libya's High Judicial Court had overturned the medics' death sentence to life imprisonment for infecting 483 Libyan children with HIV/AIDS. This development came on the heels of condemnations and appeals.

Bulgarian chief prosecutor, Boris Velchev, on Wednesday announced that soon an official request would be sent to Libyan authorities concerning the transfer of the medics, which is in line with an agreement the two countries signed in 1984.

But according to the Libyan Foreign Minister, Abdel-Rahman Shalqam, Tripoli is now waiting for the European Union and Bulgaria regarding the treatment of the infected children.

Bulgarian Prime Minister, Sergei Sergei Stanishev, today told journalists that his country would only close the case after the return of the convicts to Bulgaria.

The Libyan court also cleared defamation charges against the medics. The charges were filed by a senior Libyan police officer after the medical professionals accused the police of torturing them.

Over 50 of the infected children have died, but the Bulgarian medics denied the charges.

The case was overturned after a compensation agreement was reached with the parents of the victims. In that, each child would get US $1 million to be paid by an international fund.

Diplomatic efforts around the issue are still ongoing, with the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi inviting the French President Nicolas Sarkozy to help douse the smoking surrounding the issue which had been making headlines since 1999.

070718
AO070703

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2007. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2007. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .