Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - December 20, 2006
A court in Tripoli on Tuesday convicted the nurses and a Palestinian doctor and sentenced them to death, despite scientific evidence the youngsters had the virus before the medical workers arrived in Libya.
"The Libyan 'court' humbly carried out the orders of one of the longest serving dictators in the world," wrote the independent Monitor daily, which also carried the headline: "Deadly Christmas present from (Libyan leader Moammar) Gadhafi."
Some columnists called for economic sanctions or even breaking off diplomatic relations with the north African country.
"The solution is in a sharp, quick and open attack...as a fully fledged E.U. member, Bulgaria should demand a European economic and diplomatic blockade on Libya," said one of the most popular dailies. Bulgaria will join the E.U. on Jan. 1.
The largest trade union in Bulgaria urged citizens working in Libya to leave the country. "Their labor and human rights will find no protection there," the union said in a statement.
Doctors and nurses from hospitals across the country protested against the sentences, while civic groups organized demonstrations and appealed for the nurses' immediate release.
The six have been in jail since 1999 on charges that they intentionally spread the HIV virus to more than 400 children at a hospital in the city of Benghazi during a botched experiment to find a cure for AIDS. Fifty of the children died.
Bulgaria and European officials have blamed the infections on unhygienic practices at the hospital, and accuse Libya of making the accused scapegoats to cover up poor conditions.
Libyan investigators told the court that infections were limited to the part of the hospital where the Bulgarian nurses had worked.
"The whole trial was a giant political farce... It was a mockery of justice, falsified and manipulated," said Velislava Dareva, a journalist who heads a non-government association campaigning for the nurses' release.
"These death sentences are the cover for Libyan authorities to hide their guilt and their responsibility for the humanitarian disaster in Libya, where more than 100,000 people now live with AIDS."
Some commentators and editors called on Bulgaria's allies - the E.U. and the U.S. - to increase the pressure on Tripoli to free the health workers.
"Libya needs a tool for influence, but not just over Bulgaria...it targets mainly the European community and the U.S.," the independent Dnevnik daily wrote in an editorial. "If Gadhafi wants something from the West, it's up to the West to give him an adequate answer.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said after Tuesday's ruling the U.S. was "very disappointed with the outcome" and urged the medical workers be freed and "allowed to go home at the earliest possible date."
The European Union said it was "shocked" by the verdict. Spokesman Johannes Laitenberger said the E.U. hadn't yet decided to take steps against Libya while the ruling is appealed - but he "did not rule anything out."
061220
AP061247
Copyright © 2006 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. 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, 2006. 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. .