Medical Workers' Final Appeal In Libya

The medical professionals, nurses Kristiana Malinova Valcheva, Nasya Stojcheva Nenova, Valentina Manolova Siropulo, Valya Georgieva Chervenyashka and Snezhanka Ivanova Dimitrova, and Palestinian doctor, Ashraf Ahmad Jum'a, have repeatedly claimed their innocence. Expert witnesses, including Dr. Luc Montagnier, the researcher who first isolated the HIV virus, testified that the children's infections were caused by poor hygiene at the hospital and not an international conspiracy or intentional actions on the part of the nurses and doctors as the prosecution has claimed. Furthermore, experts assert that the infection had already begun before the accused started working at the hospital, and continued to spread after they were arrested. The initial indictment claimed the medics were attempting to undermine Libyan state security, and were working for Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service. Although that charge has been dropped, they still face the death penalty. The nurses signed confessions, however they claim the confessions were extracted under torture. Torture methods reported to Amnesty International included electric shocks; being suspended from a height by the arms; being blindfolded and threatened with being attacked by barking dogs; and beatings, including falaqa (beatings on the soles of the feet), and being beaten with electric cables. The nurses and doctor have been imprisoned now for seven years. Ivailo Kalfin, Bulgaria's foreign minister, reports that negotiations to secure the nurses' release are "not moving well." Libyan officials have suggested that the Bulgarians pay $10 million in compensation for each of the 420 children allegedly infected with AIDS (the same amount Libya was required to pay to families of the victims of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988). The payment of “blood money” would allow Libya to dismiss the case under Islamic law. The Bulgarian government has rejected this solution, Mr. Kalfin saying "This is absolutely unacceptable. You pay blood money if you are guilty." A prominent pan-Arab newspaper, Asharq al-Awsat, reported in early November, 2005 that Libya was considering dropping the death penalty in a deal brokered with US and European negotiators. Libyan officials, however, have denied this statement and report that there is no plan at this time to abandon the death penalty. (Sources of information for this case include: International Herald Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Reuters, Reuters Alertnet.) http://shr.aaas.org/aaashran/alert.php?a_id=311

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