Libya sentences medics to death

A Libyan court has sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for knowingly infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.

The medics have been in detention since 1999, during which time 52 of the 426 infected children have died of Aids.
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The defendants say they are being made scapegoats for unhygienic hospitals.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/6192599.stm

in compensation for each family makes me think there is more to this verdict than meets the eye.

The court through out all the scientific exculpatory evidence presented to it, and there was plenty- including evidence that most of children contracted AIDS before the doc and nurse even arrived there.

Easter European Doctors from a country with little political pull.

Today's Bulgarian Word is "Scapegoat": изкупителна жертва Izkupitenla Zhertva!

The medics protested their innocence throughout the case, retracting confessions that they said were obtained under torture.

Medical experts including the French co-discoverer of the HIV virus had testified on behalf of the medics.

Cheering among crowds outside court after the verdict
Crowds of relatives and other supporters cheered the verdict

And the World Medical Association and the International Council of Nurses said Tuesday's verdict ignored scientific evidence.

Libya has asked for 10m euros (£6.7m) compensation to be paid to each of the families of victims, suggesting the medics' death sentences could be commuted in return.

But Bulgaria has rejected the proposal, saying any payment would be seen as an admission of guilt.

I don't know what else to say.

This is what happens when people aren't informed/educated about HIV/Aids. It's also what happens when a regime decides its science, like its MATH, is better than anyone else's.

It just makes me sick and I hope there's a way to get those people out of there somehow.

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) -

A court convicted five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor Tuesday of deliberately infecting 400 children with HIV and sentenced them to death, despite scientific evidence the youngsters had the virus before the medical workers came to Libya.

The United States and Europe reacted with outrage to the verdict, which prolongs a case that has hurt Libya's ties to the West. The six co-defendants already have served seven years in jail.

Earlier this month, an analysis of HIV and hepatitis virus samples taken from some of the children concluded the viral strains were circulating at the hospital where they were treated well before the nurses and doctor arrived in March 1998, according to research published by the journal Nature.

There is widespread anger in Libya over the HIV infections, and the sentence brought cheers. The Libyan press has long depicted the medical workers as guilty.

After the sentence was pronounced, dozens of relatives outside the Tripoli court chanted "Execution! Execution!" Ibrahim Mohammed al-Aurabi, the father of an infected child, shouted, "God is great! Long live the Libyan judiciary!"

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-af/2006/dec/19/121908045.html

and it makes me wonder about why there is a media bias in favor of Libya's ruling. At cbs and abc the tag line reads something like, 7 sentence to death for infecting children with HIV! if you a news skimmer you might miss this story and call bullshit.

And unfortunately, in cases such as this, more people are apt to jump to conclusions and persecute people without having all their facts in order.

This is a terrible situation for all involved.

There's usually someone who's upset about it. They don't care whether the wrong man dies, as long as someone dies.

The desire for revenge is blinding. :-(

This story I'm sure many Americans have already played judge and jury.