its a huge sin if the staff have deliberately infected the children, but everyone should be given a chance to prove their innocence. i think a thorogh enquiry is important before jugement.

court judgements must be made on the scientifically, or strictly objectively, legal basis, not on the arbitrarily political one. hope not that the trial will run for a particular favoritism.

What is the link for Mickey Grant documentary Infection? I want to make this resource available to more people, but I cannot find it anywhere online. Please let me know.

[editor's reply: Sorry - I had this wrong before, but the link is http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5182317638126553942&q=injection+Libya&hl=en]

Whatever the case be... one needs to be given a chance to prove their innocence. I this case, a scientific proof invariably would clear the suspicion... Gadaffi has a chance to show the world that he stands for justice!

Scientists should definitely support a full enquiry. Is there support letter that we can sign?

We should not forget history: in the former Soviet Union a lot of bad things (just plain crimes) were made to inocent people because the system wanted to punish not to solve a problem. Those persons were posthumously rehabilited and the crimes still remembered not to repeat them. Gadaffi should take a look on that side to avoid past mistakes that will, sooner or later, fire back. Those nurses deserve a fair trial to find the true no matter if that "stains" the Gadaffi's system.

I agree that an international search be conducted into the cause of the infection before further action is taken. This seems to be the most logical step in settling things.

The accused docs MUST be given ample opportunity to prove their innocence. Libya risks going back to the stone age if it disregards international law and executes the docs without a fair hearing.

today is the first time i've heard about this story, and i also agree with the lawyers that an independent scientific investigation needs to be conducted. the injustice of this case is amazing.

Me parece una noticia espantosa, que ofende a toda la comunidad cientifica, tenemos que unirnos frente a la brutalidad con que se esta castigando a estas comunidades del medio oriente (Libano, Irak, Palestina, Siria etc)

the six workers must be executed if they have infected those children, i think: even if they don't deliberately make the children caught HIV, they potentially know the children will be infected, they still let this happen. they are guilty.

I ESTIMATE, WILL BE MORE BE GOOD IF FORMED A COMMITTEE TO CHECK ITS CAUSE. THE COMMITTEE CONSIST OF FEW MEDICAL SCIENTIC FROM SOME NEUTRAL STATE.

If Libya and Gadaffi is seeking the support of the western world he should listen the voice of the scientific community and retrial the health worker with a fair and independent re-examination of the scientific evidence. Gaddafi, for the occasion, might acknowledge that his country has a huge health problem with HIV, hepatitis B and C and start doing something practical rather then looking for a scapegoat

A full equiry is the minimum requirement before such severe punishment is given.

A through scientific review and investigation must be conducted. World Health Organisation and the sponser of those accused doctors and the authority should take initiative.

As an Australian doctor who will visit and work in Libya on a regular basis, and who has international medical staff working in the country it concerns me that by providing health care, we are at risk of execution. If scientific evidence of innocence is ignored it concerns me even more.

here goes the double stadard of the west again...the lybian oil is needed so who cares about justice anyway...
and the european union normally so acitve on the death sentence issue doesn't seem to be doing enough(if anything at all...)it's bussines as usual...

Deliberate spread of HIV infection in 400 children by those six international medicos should be deemed as a heinous act condemnable in strongest ever words. However, how Lybia came to the conclusion that it was deliberate? Afterall human is a human and not god. Sometimes one may commit minor error of worst sequels, without even knowing about it. The circumstances under which such error or act arose leading to infection of children should be put to thorough scrutiny and investigation, not only to prove the culpability of the medicos but also to strengthen the precautionery measures, if at all any failure was there, for future. Outright execution without probe is not desirable in this humane world.

Deliberate spread of HIV infection in 400 children by those six international medicos should be deemed as a heinous act, condemnable in the strongest ever words. However, how Lybia came to the conclusion that it was deliberate? After all human is a human and not god. Sometimes one may commit minor error of worst sequels, without even knowing about it. The circumstances under which such error or act happened leading to infection of children should be put to thorough scrutiny and investigation, not only to prove the culpability of the medicos but also to strengthen the precautionery measures, if at all any failure was there, for future. Outright execution without probe is not desirable in this humane world.

A full impartial unbiased investigation is warranted before such a harsh step is taken. Justice must be served if there has been any wrongdoing but not without full proof for it.

Unbiased probe and trial by the international scientific community and lawywers should be done before landing into this type of conclusion as those are foreign citizens.Let truth and sound judgement prevails..

I think, before making any judgemant, first the cause of the infection should be known and then it should be evaluated by the medicat team to decide that the doctor and the nurse are found guilty or not.
Those responsible for this huge mistake should definitely be punished, but innocent people should not be convicted too.

Like every other Bulgarian I cannot believe this is happening, but this nightmare is still going on. Five innocent Bulgarian women might die because someone else wants to cover up their mistakes! I am afraid I cannot tell you more about this case than it is already written at
http://mayas-corner.blogspot.com/2006/09/hiv-trial-in-libya-part-1-infection.html
and
http://mayas-corner.blogspot.com/2006/09/hiv-trial-in-libya-part-2-victims.html

While it is controversial to interfere in a sovereign state's legal system, it should be noted that these workers had come from abroad. In order to encourage others to come forward and work in similar circumstances, the world needs to ensure that the facts are fairly established and presented.

I am a Ph.D student from Bulgaria studying at New York University. The whole Bulgarian nation has very strong feelings about this case, which has been ongoing for 8 whole years. It was high time to see it gain international publicity through the call of Lawyers without Borders. "Libya's travesty" starts off by describing a scenario where the accused are Westerners to imply that if they were such the "international community" would act differently. I am appalled on how people in this forum give any credibility to the Lybian court after reading the articles in Nature. For 8 years this excuse for a court has played with these people's destiny, and with Bulgaria as a whole: numerous times the court has scheduled decisions and sentencing on Bulgarian national or religous holidays.
One of the pioneers in the work on AIDS, Montagnier, has testified that the infection was due to bad hygiene. The scientific proof was undeniable. That DID NOT MATTER AT ALL. Only pure international pressure in form of sanctions and withheld aid can result in a deserved pardon. Unfortunately any action by the scientific community is doomed to fail, as we have seen before, because again, this is not a question of proving innocence, but winning it.

WE CAN NOT DIVIDE HUMAN VIEWS AS VIEWS OF SCIENTISTS, VIEWS OF LAWYERS , VIEWS OF SOCIAL WORKERS etc . WE ARE SHOWING PAPERS OF SCIENCE WHEN WE SEE IT IS A QUESTIPON OF LIFE AND DEATH FOR FIVE NURSES AND ONE DOCTOR! THINK ABOUT A DILUTED PUNISHMENT AND SAY IS IT A MATER OF SCIENCE OR A MATER OF L A W?

This is the correct link to my movie, INJECTION:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5182317638126553942&q=injection+libya&hl=en

It is most welcome to see the science and clinician community rally on-line in support for the health workers accused of spreading HIV. We -- a group of scientists who enjoy science fiction -- also have added our small weight in support through helping spread the word (see Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation). This whole incident is a travesty on many grounds. It is an obvious case of mal-justice for those accused. It also is travesty that science is being used to underpin a fiction. (Our group appreciates both science and related fictions but _not_ when one masquerades as the other.) Finally the group who have had the most injustice is one that almost seems to be forgotten: those that were infected by HIV. The use of the health workers as an excuse for the real cause of the HIV spread in the Libyan hospital is a callous pretext to address the real cause whose responsibility lies with those who administer that hospital. If travesties such as this continue then there will be more death and injustice. -- Jonathan Cowie

THANKS FOR PUBLISHING MY VIEWS ON NATURE NEWS BLOG ON 29.09.06 ABOUT LIBYAS AIDS SCANDAL. MY PERSONAL CALL NO 03812321450 ,INDIA

Jonathan Cowie has hit the nail on the head. Above and beyond the injustice being perpetrated on these medical workers, tragedies such as the infection of these children will continue to occur if no objective scientific investigation into the true cause is ever conducted. Shouldn't the fact that Luc Montagnier, one of the discoverers of HIV, disputes the validity of the supposed scientific arguments of this court ring alarm bells? If this travesty is allowed to continue, none of us should feel safe.

There should be a full scientific investigation of the case - obviously there are enough samples and data to come at least to some reliable conclusions regarding the history of the infections.
Furthermore, I hope that public pressure in the media will give the Libyan courts (and the government) enough reason to reconsider the case.

WE CAN THINK ABOUT SOME VERY MUCH EXISTING POINTS-FIRST,HOW CAN THE LYBIAN GOV RULE OUT THE REPORT OF LUC MONTGANIER(discoverer of HIV virus!)AND VITTORIO KOLLIZI WHOM THEY HAVE ASKED? SECONDLY,WILL LYBIAN GOV DISCLOSE THE STATUS OF AIDS OUTBREAK IN HOSPITAL OTHER THAN AL FATEH? THIRD, HOW CAN THE LYBIAN GOV BE SO SURE THAT IT WAS A deliberate act not human error?FOURTH,HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOUR NATIVE HEALTH AND HYGIENE CONDITION FROM THIS ISSUE OF DEATH PUNISHMENT? OK ,NOW SOMETHING DISFAVOUR NEWSBLOG VIEWS W H O FINDS 2.5%ROLE OF DIRTY NEEDLES REGARDING INFECTION WHEN OTHER STUDIES PAPERS 40%!THEN HOW CAN WE HOLD THE FLAG OF SCIENCE NOT THE LAW AND PUNISHMENT?

WE CAN THINK ABOUT SOME VERY MUCH EXISTING POINTS-FIRST,HOW CAN THE LYBIAN GOV RULE OUT THE REPORT OF LUC MONTGANIER(discoverer of HIV virus!)AND VITTORIO KOLLIZI WHOM THEY HAVE ASKED? SECONDLY,WILL LYBIAN GOV DISCLOSE THE STATUS OF AIDS OUTBREAK IN HOSPITAL OTHER THAN AL FATEH? THIRD, HOW CAN THE LYBIAN GOV BE SO SURE THAT IT WAS A deliberate act not human error?FOURTH,HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOUR NATIVE HEALTH AND HYGIENE CONDITION FROM THIS ISSUE OF DEATH PUNISHMENT? OK ,NOW SOMETHING DISFAVOUR NEWSBLOG VIEWS W H O FINDS 2.5%ROLE OF DIRTY NEEDLES REGARDING INFECTION WHEN OTHER STUDIES PAPERS 40%!THEN HOW CAN WE HOLD THE FLAG OF SCIENCE NOT THE LAW AND PUNISHMENT?

The AAAS Science and Human Rights Program has just released this urgent alert to its human rights network on the new developments on the case described in the Nature articles above. Their appeal page also containsa useful letter generating tool.

Declan Butler

Senior reporter, Nature

Email: d.butler@nature.com

Blog: http://declanbutler.info/blog/

First of all, how do you contract AIDS from 'natural causes'? AIDS doesn't just float around.

Second, all you racists are making a big deal out of these 6 Bulgarian nurses (who cares about the Palestinian medical student?) when there are THOUSANDS of political prisoners that you self-proclaimed heros don't care two $***'s about. You're all hypocrites!

To: Angry Libyan

AIDS transmission within hospitals through reuse and improper sterilization
of needles, and through contaminated blood products, is well documented in many
countries other than Libya. Luc Montagnier, the discover of the AIDS virus, also
knows a thing or two about the virus, so you might like to inform yourself by
reading his assessment of how the children in Benghazi became contaminated -- a
link to his report is provided
here.

Our coverage explicitly highlights the Palestinian doctor, so your comment is
simply inaccurate on this point. Re the thousands of other political prisoners;
apart from the insulting "don't care" assertion, your comment is no more than
unfounded supposition. Amnesty International, for examples
highlights the cases of the 5 Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor, but also the
thousands of political prisoners you mention. But apart from organizations such
as Amnesty whose primary remit is defence of human rights, it is impossible for
any organization to give sustained attention to them all, so the way human
rights defence works usually is that different groups champion cases where they
have particular expertise, readers and knowledge -- in our case that is
scientists, medics, and the issues of academic freedom, and that government and
legal actions should be based on scientific evidence, and not be trounced upon
to serve narrow ideological or political agendas. A focus on one set of cases in
no way suggests lack of interest in others, and in no way detracts from the
cause of human rights -- quite the opposite: every defence matters. The Libyan
case is particularly pressing as it involves death penalty charges, and the
trial is taking place at present with a verdict expected in November. I take it
that you would like to ensure that they get a fair trial, and that your
country's judicial system would take into account the scientific evidence on the
case.

In passing, Amnesty documents a fair number of abuses in Libya -- see
here and
here -- so is
Amnesty also making a "big deal" over Libya's human rights record? And see also
Human Rights Watch's
report on
Libya. I'd like you to read the Montagnier report, or the briefs issued by
other human rights organizations, see
here,
here and
here, for
example. Once informed of the facts, I'd hope that you might not only change
your own mind, but also tell your Libyan family and friends about the true facts of
this case.

Declan Butler

http://declanbutler.info/blog/

Have the New York Academy of Sciences (www.nyas.org) and the American Society for Microbiology (www.asm.org) been asked to help these hapless healthcare workers? This could happen to anyone working in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Marcy Stone

why is it that in one hospital we find this great # of children with the same problem, despite the fact that the rate of HIV in Libya isn't high. If you were to tell me that Libya has a high rate of HIV like many countries in Africa, then i might believe this to be normal. everyone of you believes that these nurses must be innocent but why are you so sure? Are your responses based only on truth and evidence or is there some discrimination? why didn't you think for an instance of these 400 children whose lives will be miserable and of their families and the sadness they live. Libya doesn't need someone to stick its scandals to, Libya is not strong to try to do such a thing and even if it were, we all know many other stronger countries will stand out. The truth is not yet clear and some answers are hidden; so why not look out for the truth!!

The UK Times has today published a letter from Lord Rees, president of the Royal Society, Sir Keith Peters, president of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences, Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, and Thomas Lehner, from Kings College, London. The letter, "Foreign workers at risk in Libya" concludes with this sentence:

"We ask the medical and scientific authorities of the United Nations, Arab countries, United States and European Union (Bulgaria will join the EU in three months) to exert their utmost influence on President Gaddafi to prevent what might amount to judicial murder.

Many of you have expressed difficulties in being able to quickly obtain information on the Libya HIV case, or actions that can be taken. To try to help with this, I’ve today created a very rough “resources page,” where I will try to centralize key reports, links, and action guides. I will keep this updated, so if you have any good links please send me them on d.butler@nature-france.com

I will also shortly add court and other key documents.

Declan Butler

More news: The New York Academy of Sciences, and the Federation of the European Academies of Medicine (FEAM) have both written to Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi. The pressure for a fair trial, and for the scientific evidence to be heard, is mounting in the run up to the next, and last session of the trial on 31 October -- for more details see http://declanbutler.info/blog/

Five Bulgarian nurses are on trial in Libya for intentionally infected children with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. However, there are no credible evidence for their guilt. Most data suggest that the children have been infected before the arrival of the nurses to the Hospital in Bengazi. Many experts and scientiests, including Luc
Montagnier, who discovered the HIV, have shown that the lack of basic
hydiene in the hospital but not the nurses should be blamed. The
governments of Europa and of the USA are familiar with this trial. Now is
high time for them to act and prevent the execution of the innocent Bulgarian nurses.

The nurses and the medical doctor are innocent. They just happen to be the scapegoats for this scandal. How could the government of a country flushed with oil and therefore money could explain to its population that the whole public health sector is just an under manned, under funded and crumbling infrastructure subject to rife corruption. At the end, even the libyans who have the economical means rush to be treated abroad rather than risk their lives in a national "model" hospital.
A sad reality considering the theorical wealth of the country.

I personally have nothing but sympathy and concern for the well being of these nurses. Although I am confident that the conclusions reached scientifically are correct ,I am amazed at the attention the western scientific community has awarded this case and the fervor with which they have expressed their opinion. I just wish you would award similar cases where the wronged are Arab or Muslim the same amount of time and attention . It is moments like these that convince me that there is a double standard . I can only hope for enlightenment for all.

Why is it considered "shocking" that there is no evidence against the nurses?How naive of the journalist to allow consideration that Gaddaffi is innocent of framing health care workers, and disgusting and ignorant that the Bulgarian nurses are only "allowed to prove their innocence" when it is the entirely corrupt, brutal, backwards, unscientific, illiberal and racist Libyan system under Gaddaffi and his family and accomplices that is to blame from start to finish.The American system of presumed innocence is what the world should follow, in national and international law.Yours In Christian Freedom and Health and Truth, Sir Daniel M.J.Tobin

IT IS TIME TO ASK THE LYBIAN GOV TO GO TO THE BACKFOOT WHEN THEY NO SPECIALIST REPORT IS SUPPORTONG THEM EXCEPT THEIR OWN.KEEPING THEIR EYES STUCK ON THE SELF REPORT THE LYBIAN GOV IS THROWING ALL OTHER REPORTS OF WORLDWIDE EXPERTS. TO THEIR MIND PREVIOUS REPORT OF MONTGAINER AND COLLIZI IS ONLY HYPOTHETI AS IT HAS PIONTED TO THE HYGIENE CONDITION OF THE HOSPITAL ALFATEH! SURPRISINGLY THEY DONT FEEL ISOLATED WHILE VERDICTING DEATH AGAINST ALL SCIENTIFIC OPINION.WHO ENGAGED VIROLOGIST LUC PERRIN IS SHOCKED AT THE DEAD SILENCE GADDAFIS LYBIA ABOUT HIS REGARDING THE CASE . EPIDEMIOLOGIST JANNIE JAGGER FINDS A COMPLETE INADEQUATE STATUSOF LYBIAN GOV APPROACH IN HANDLING THE AIDS SPREAD OUT.VIROLOGIST ROBBIN WEISS FEELS THE GROUNDLESSNESS OF THE BLAME OF DELIBERATE INFECTION AGAINST SIX MEDICS .BUT LYBIAS EAR IS SHUT. DO THEY SUSPECT THE MEDICS ONLY OR DOING THE SAME WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD? HOWEVER W H O RECOMENDED VEROLOGISTS LUC PERRIN HAS TREARED THE INFECTED CHILDREN AND ANALYSED THE SAMPLE COLLECTED AFTER THE INCIDENT IN 1998, IN EVERY WAY HE ECHOS COLLIZIS REPORT THAT CHILDREN WERE INFECTED MUCH BEFORE (SEP1997) THE ARRIVAL OF MEDICS. GENETIC ANALYSIS IS SUPPRTING THIS FACT. THOSE UNFORTUNATE CHILDREN ARE ALSO SUFFERING FROM VARIOUS SUBTYPES OF HEPATITIS WHICH SHOWS THE PITURE OF LYBIAN model HOSPITAL ALFATEH. BUT LYBIANNS FIND INTEREST ON A VIAL WHICH THEY WANT TO USE LIKE A HAMER OF VERDICT THOUGH NOT TESTED TILL 2003. LUC PERRIN , THE VIRILOGIST WARNS VARIOUS SUBTYPES OF HEPATITIS IS INDICATNG CONTAMINATON FROM MULTIPLE SUORCES OF ALFATEH NOT FROM SINGLE MALICIOUS SOURCE. BUT THE STUBBON BEHAVIOUR OF GADDAFIS LYBIA TELLS THAT IT IS NOT A CASE OF AIDS INFECTION ITS A CASE OF SUSPICIOUS AND VINDICITIVE MENTALITY. WE ARE THANKFUL TO DECLAN BITLER , SENION REPORTER NATURE WHO HAS BROUGHT MANY LIGHT TO OPEN THE EYES OF THE LYBIAN.

It is easier to frame foreign workers for the spread of AIDS, as officially the disease is seen as a western import. At the same time one would be cynical enough to consider, that once a scapegoat is found, they can be accounted as the original focal point of the disease spread within the country. Kill two birds with one stone. No need then to explain how the disease has entered and spread within society as AIDS still remains a taboo subject. Needless to say that the disease is spreading via hard drug consumption, lack of rudimentary hygiene in hospitals, unprotected sex etc...and that the official figures are an underestimation of the actual figures.
The more likely issue would be to find another cause to the present spread and infection of those children, such as unbestknown contaminated "imported" blood for example. In that way the government bows under the international pressure releasing the innocent foreign workers without publically losing face.
However I must agree with M Majdoob that there seem to be a bias for this case as it includes five westerners. Would the same fervour and amount of time and attention would have been displayed were these unfortunate workers libyans, arabs or just muslims?

I hope - I wish - the future WHO's Director General will make this case an absolute priority !
At the highest possible level ...

rené Le Berre, ex-responsible for Filarial (tropical) diseases at WHO-HQ. ex-responsible for The Onchocerciasis operations in west-Africa (1960-1978) . retired

I cannot believe that this happens officially in front of the whole world and continues so many years! The Lybian cort has most of the times until now declared their decisions in suitable time - just on the eve of a special holiday for our country. It seems that they are planning to do it this time again. Still I hope that with the efforts of so many people all over the world finally a positive changewill be achieved for the Bulgarian nurses.

The dictator's Libyan government fears people's dissatisfaction.
The dissemination of disease also makes dissatisfaction.
Therefore, it was imputed to an innocent victim .
These victim will lose the life.

Dear All,
It is always important to have fair trial about the six medical people before judgment including an independent scientific committee opinion.
One of the interesting things can be asked to the Libyan health authority is to show the incidence of hepatitis C spread among haemodialysis patients in different centres including Benghazi. Hepatitis c spread through blood and its products. What is known to many people is that the incidence goes up sharply after patients start haemodialysis.
Lack of the evidence in this trial will lead to unfair incorrect verdict

TRUSTWORTHY, we, at the Bulgarian Society for Cell Biology, do believe in the science-based proofs provided by the worldwide leading scientists in HIV/AIDS research for the innocence of the five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian medical doctor more than seven years kept in Libyan prison!
We thus do support all the initiatives in such a support and do appreciate Nature, Science and other leading scientific journals in their humanistic effort to globally upregulate the truth and only the truth of innocence of the six medics prisoned in Lybya. The Biomedical Reviews, an international journal of cell biology of disease, is thus also following Nature, Science alike journals in this support!

George Chaldakov, MD, PhD
Chairman,Bulgarian Society for Cell Biology
Editor, Biomedical Reviews

I want to express my full support and solidarity with the accused nurses and doctors who are the scapegoats of the Lybian's health system inefficiency.

Typical Islamic justice! There should be a worldwide boycott of Libyan product if they go forward with the executions. Also, where is the UN condemnation?

My sympathy and compassion goes out to the health-workers. They are in no-doubt innocent, and Libya are trying to blame the problem on outsiders!! This wrongdoing should not continue.

I would like to see Nature publish an updated article. I just read the New York Times and the BBC (two media I normally respect) and they approach the issue as reporters - that is to say, only propagating the impressions, accusations and speculations of political leaders, attorneys and experts. I want to read as scientific a treatment of the case as is possible given the nature of the Libyan judicial system. Were needles found in one of the medic's homes? (NYT) Did the documented HIV infections begin previous to the Bulgarian medics' arrival? (BBC) I won't settle for anything less than a well-researched report!
Additionally, as far as I'm concerned, the Libyan's accusations are no more far-fetched than the Bulgarian's defense: there is a history of immoral Western activity in Africa, using the AIDS virus for medical research. Someone please report to a smart America, not a gossip mill!

[editor's note: you can find extensive reports on the scientific assessment of when the outbreak began and its likely mode of transmission here: http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/aidsmedicslibya/index.html]

Science said there are no weapons of mass destruction
science says the medical staff is innocent.Hope human goodness and kindness prevails this time.Science cannot stop the madness of the human beings

These accusations are shocking; the message from the media is not getting through. What happened, professional misconduct, a crime, negligence ? so many children committed to death.

HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE IN 21TH CENTURY????WHERE IS THE JUSTICE, WHY EVERYBODY JUST WATCH AND NOBODY REACTS? WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPENS IN ORDER TO MAKE US DEFEND OUR HUMAN RIGHTS??? WHEN THE UNITED NATION, EUROPEAN UNION, USA AND THE OTHER NORMAL, DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES WILL TAKES RESPOND TO THIS MADNESS, PUNISHING TO DEAD 6 INNOCENT, WENT OUT IN FOREIGN COUNTRY TO WORK AND HEAL OTHER LIFES. I AM SENDING THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOU PEOPLE WITH CLEAR consciousness AND MORALITY TO ACT AND DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS WHICH ARE IN TREATH, BECAUSE THAT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THIS MEDICAL WORKERS CAN HAPPENS TO ANY OF US IN A COUNTRY SUCH AS LIBYA, WHERE THE LAW, THE JUSTICE, THE TRUTH AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS ARE NOT RESPECTED AND RECOGNISED.

PLASE DON'T STAY INDIFFERENT!!

The fact that independent expert scientific evidence was rejected by the court makes this sentenceas it stands judicial murder to gratify political ideology.

There can be no justification whatsoever in this sentence.

And nowhere in the counrt hearings or reports produced by the Libyan authorities have I seen anything remotely approaching a motive as to WHY a team of health workers who chose to work in a foreign country would plot to deliberately infect youngsters.

I would like to ask everybody who feels that no sentence, let alone death penalty, should be issued in defiance of scientific evidence to sign in a petition in support of the 6 medical professionals trialed in Lybia. Please visit www.abolition.fr and http://www.petitiononline.com/bulgaria/petition-sign.html. Thanking you

This verdict is a disgrace! It is reminiscent of Stalinian trials when any innocent could be shot for sabotage. I trust that Nature will keep up the fight and keep the scientific community informed and mobilized until the medics are free.

I was shocked by the recent decision of the court in Tripoli confirming the death sentences in the retrial of five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor, detained since 1999 and convicted on charges of intentionally infecting more than 400 Libyan patients, primarily children, with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at the hospital in Benghazi in 1998. Because of this issue I would like to discuss about some knowledge referring to the risks for transmission of this infection within this country, which I obtained during my duties at the Department of Internal Medicine at the Faculty Hospital in Misurata during the years 1987-1990.

During the first months of my duties at the aforementioned health facility, I had a chance to see some patients which had the typical signs of advanced AIDS. I was very surprised at the attitudes of a very experienced and educated doctor from the Sudan, who did not want to accept, that, he would have to deal with this kind of disease which supposedly was not present in Libya. [sentence deleted by moderator for legal reasons]

This attitude I automatically explained to myself as part of the propaganda of the government�s regime which do not wish to admit the presence of AIDS because of cultural, social, and religious norms that discourage alcohol, drugs abuse and promiscuity. Although the Islamic moral code forbids such indulgences, in reality, they are widely practiced among men. This may explain that some governments do not wish to admit the presence of AIDS which reflects the type of society there.

It is important to note, that Libyan citizens had, at this time, the possibility to freely travel to the surrounding countries like Tunisia but also to Western Europe, where the presence of this disease was wide spread. Another imoportant factor that may impact the spread of HIV include a large population of migrant workers, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, the worst affected region in the word where more than 1/2 of all HIV-infected people live. Moreover, the city of Benhazi, where the university is located, was known for the presence of a significant number of sex workers from Egypt.

Another important mode of infection might be through poor hospital hygiene, which independent investigations of the hospital showed was prevalent. Especially I want to emphasize that spreading of the infection could have been a result of insufficient examination of blood donors at the transfusion station. The data from blood donations is particularly interesting because all blood collected in Lybia�s public-health facilities is voluntarily donated by family members of patients. It is possible that this method of gaining blood donors could have led to disparagement of precautions for exclusion infected donors.

Consistent with this assumption is the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group on global HIV/AIDS and STI Surveillance data showing,the HIV seroprevalence in 1998 among blood donors was 0,22%. Furthermore, at the and of 2002, HIV infection had been reported among 5,160 Libyans and 1,159 foreigners. More then 80% of all reported HIV infections have occurred in the past four years, suggesting a sharp increase in incidence has recently occurred. An estimated 90% of recent adult infections are the result of injection drug use.

Without these previous experiences, I would not have any reasonable doubts about charges against these health care workers. The paradox is that not long ago, I was pointing to a quote from The Green Book of the Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi condemning the toleration of boxing in sports. Of interest, the quote states that �The more the people become civilized and sophisticated, the more they are able to ward off both the performance and the encouragement of these practices.� I would therefore expect that the Libyan government, instead of scapegoating foreign medical professionals of doubtful accusations from bio-terrorism, rationally and humanly admit the overwhelming evidence that underestimation of preventive practices in the country, led to the spread of HIV-1 and other blood born infections.
-------------------
UNAIDS/WHO epidemiological fact sheets on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted. Diseases. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya http://www.who.int/GlobalAtlas/predefinedReports/EFS2004/EFS_PDFs/EFS2004_LY.pdf

Pijak MR. One more reader responds to "boxing should be banned in civilized countries--round 4". MedGenMed. 2005 Oct 14;7(4):12.

Typical western hypocrisy and racism. You people are defending murderers and childkillers who infected over 400 children with death. You should be defending the innocent children, and not some murderers who will get their just fate. Which part of "THEY HAVE BEEN CONVICTED AND FOUND GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW, TWICE!" do you not understand? Enough meddling into other people's internal affairs. They were given due court, and convicted in a fair and just manner.

[Some sentences have been deleted from the original post by the moderator for potentially offensive content]

To Nasser Riyadh,
it is a great tragedy that these innocent children have been infected, however you should read this month's publication in Nature where the researchers did a thorugh phylogenetic analysis of the virus from some of the infected children and concluded that the infection took place before these nurses arivend in Libya. We all want whoever is responsible to pay for it, but in this case it is just impossible that the accused caused this since the evidence says that it was caused long before that.
Please, read the article. Libya can execute them or it can face the truth and prevent the same from happening to more children. They have a choice. I believe that if the parrents knew about this evidence, they would want the real criminals punished. Unfortunately, I doubt that most of these people have access to this publication or that they are trained in science so that they can understand what ths research means. Too bad for Libya's future generations.

Where is the Humanity ?

I must admit here that without reviewing the literature, including the results of expert analyses coupled with my personal experiences from Libya, I would not have any reasonable doubts that health workers at Al-Fateh Hospital in Benghazi should be blamed. Perhaps it should also be mentioned, that if the unsafe practices that may facilitate HIV transmission were really excluded then the conspiracy theories of AIDS should seriously be considered and investigated. In fact, there are a number of theories about AIDS which make claims about the origin and/or nature of the (HIV) and AIDS that differ radically from mainstream beliefs. These theories range from claims that HIV is not the principal cause, to suggestions that AIDS was the inadvertent result of medical experiments, to claims that HIV was deliberately created.

Nevertheless, available evidence speaks in favor of the view that Libyan government wanted to deflect public outrage by accusing foreigners of committing a horrific crime -- rather than acknowledging the negligence of Libya's health system and prosecuting responsible individuals including all members of the management and the administrative staff of the al-Fateh hospital. In addition, Libyan government may be trying to blackmail European countries, offering to "pardon" the medics in exchange for billions of dollars in "compensation". Of course it cannot be excluded that the personnel may share part of responsibility, in using or accepting incorrect hygienic practices, but it does not mean a deliberate action of poisoning children.

It is worth remembering in this regard that the article published in November 1998 in the Libyan magazine “La” mentioned that most parents were not informed that their children had been infected with HIV, the children were treated as if they were not ill at all and this led to the spread of the disease!!! Furthermore, the article clearly indicated the failings of the Benghazi children's hospital, viz. shortage of single-use products, repeated use of disposable instruments, lack of HIV tests, and failure to comply with standards of hygiene. The authorities typically banned the publication and had all the copies of the magazine seized. The answer why they won't bring the article to the attention of the Libyans was mentioned above.

Finally, I would like to remind Libyan authorities one remarkable quote from Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi's Green Book condemning the toleration of boxing in sports, that caught my eye: "The more the people become civilized and sophisticated, the more they are able to ward off both the performance and the encouragement of these practices." I would therefore expect that the Libyan government, instead of scapegoating foreign medical professionals of doubtful accusations from conducting illegal vaccine trial or bio-terrorism orchestrated by the CIA and Israel's Mossad, rationally and humanly admit the overwhelming evidence that Benghazi hospital practiced poor hygiene and that underestimation of preventive practices in the country, led to the spread of HIV-1 and other blood born infections. I also guess they finally realized that political and religious attitudes toward AIDS should not divert attention from effective policies to prevent and combat it and that waiting to intervene can be very costly and very risky.

References

Idris al-Mismari and Faraj al-'Arabi on AIDS cases among Benghazi children., published in Laa Magazine, Issue No. 78, November 1998, pp. 18-21. Available at: http://members.tripod.com/~sijill/hiv/hiv.htm

Cantwell A. The Secret Origins of AIDS: Facts, Fallacies & Conspiracy Theories. New Dawn magazine. http://www.newdawnmagazine.com/Article/The_Secret_Origins_of_AIDS.html

AIDS conspiracy theories. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_conspiracy_theories

Please watch this Video Clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS3mhjt7TrY

Although I am of the belief that the nurses and the Doctor might quite well be innocent , actions such as those on this clip by western scientists and doctors obviously justify actions taken by Libya.
If you can kill your children in cold blood would it be too far fetched to kill children of others ??

The evidence favors the innocence of the six medical workers in Libya. It is a disgrace that Libya continue keeping them in jail altogether, particularly under such a strees. I encourage all readers of Nature to add their voice demanding the freedom of them all, as I do here.

FREEDOM FOR BULGARIAN MEDICS!

Nobody deserves that unfair destiny!

Rose Otto

I don't understand in medical issues but as a resident of Benghazi and I know some of those infected and also I know of the situation of hospitals in Benghazi I can say that Al-fateh children hospital is one of the best in Benghazi. If a contamination will happen it will happen in other hospitals. Secondly, why the outbreak starts and stops exactely in time related to the coming of the medical workers?. Third, why the virus spread in only 4 units (the workers was there) out of the 12 of the hospital?. Some children came only once to the hospital in that period and the quantity of the virus found in their blood was very high? is it possible for the virus to spread as fast as this?. Thirteen or more of the children died only few years after the discovery of the virus, I heard that the patient can leave with the virus for more than 10 years (I am not sure and you may correct me) if he was infected for example due to a sexual relationship. Finally, we are not against the workers because they are foriegners and many others are in Libya and you can ask about our hospitality to them. I alwayes looked at Nature as a scintific magazine, but now really I feel that racisim is penetrating the highest and well respected education and research in the west. Please read this
http://www.ljm.org.ly/articles/AOP/AOP070201.pdf

This case defies logic. It is inconceivable that you would get 7 health care workers in one place at one time willing to harm their patients deliberately. It seems obvious that the hospital authorities and the government have made scapegoats of the workers to cover their own culpability.

Glad to see someone finally post good scientific rebuttal to western propaganda. Thanks Nooredin. Lets see those western racists, fawning day and night about how those evil Islamic Arabs are scapegoating poor innocent kind hearted western saints for the Aids outbreak, lets see how they will react to that reasonable scientific arguement against them.

I became shocked when i came cross this news in a Bulgarian news website.
http://www.aegis.com/news/afp/2006/AF060346.html

Is it possible to conduct HIV vaccination study on newborn. I can not imagine that. Is there any link with HIV outbeak in Libya.

It seems the case of HIV outbreak in Libya is very very complex.

Regards Khamis

To Nasser Riyadh:
There is no science in what Nooreddin has said. Just because children came to the hospital at that time and were infected does not mean anything. Apparantly you and I are not reading the same scientific research. It should be enough for you to know that many children came to the hospital before the nurses went to Libya. I hope you won't blame them for infecting the children when they were not even in the country.
It is very easy to accuse someone of being a rasist and ignore the science behind all that however that would not help the poor children. I guess their only fault is being born in a country that does not care about them.
By the way, statement about Libyan hospitality to foreign workes are totally false. In Libya if a foreigner is involved in an accident, the it is his/her faluf because if they hadn't come to Libya the accident would not have happend. That is Libyan logic and has happened to my cousin while working in Libya. If that is the way the lead this prosecution that I would not be surprised if they have made up their minds already about the guilt.

Bobbie

The important question for those nurses is: Are they used some syringes or catheters for more than one patient? Yes or No? It`s not very interesting when is the virus present at hospital... The important is if the nurses are ignored basic rules or not?

Dear all, a useful detailed scientific discussion of the previous published scientific reports on HIV outbeak in Benghazi-Libya recomended to be read.
http://www.ljm.org.ly/articles/AOP/AOP070221.pdf

Hi again,
I sent a reply to Bobbie's comment a couple of weeks ago but it is not published for one reason or another. Anyway, I will not repeat that but I will say that it is not justice what the west is looking for and only they care about there colormates. I just remined you that Mr. Bush commanded Libya to release the medics well before all this research conducted and posted in few weeks by Nature. He didn't ask about a fair trail or finding the truth, just release them or your relations with us will be hurt. Another strange thing that usually publishing articles in Nature will take months or even years. Why the reviewing process is too short in this case?. I wish someone of you will reply scientifically to the article posted above by khamis and here is the link again. http://www.ljm.org.ly/articles/AOP/AOP070221.pdf

I hope my post will not be neglected as the previous one.

Dear Nooreddin, I have read the article posted by you and would like to say that the authors make false assumptions and then justify their reasoning based on them. It woult take too much space to explain everything that is wrong with this article, but I don't think I need to, because if you were scientist you would know what I mean ( and if you are not, then there is no point of even tryng to explain it).
I don't understand why you think that people in the west are monsters that would protect child killers. We have children too and we see the tragedy just like you do. Having said that, it does not make it right to accuse innocent people of being killers. With all the scientific evidence ( which was known long before that Nature article, but Lybian courts refised to admit Montaglier's testimony) it is clear that these nurses are not guilty and that Gadaffi is usig them for political advantages. I don't care whht Bush said, he heas no credibillity to decide such matters, however I do care for the truth and the truth is that Libya is refusing to find the real problem. I woder if someone on high position would be affected or if it is simply becasue it is too hard to admit wrondoing to the parrents whose childeren are sick so it is easier to find scapegoats and look like you are the saviour. What is more troubling is that there are 400 children who got HIV and noone in Libya is interested to find the truth.

Dear Bobbie,

We are also looking for the truth. We are also not monsters to accuse innocent people. I admit that Ghaddafi will do these things, but beleive me he will never try it with the west because he knows the price. Now coming to the article, I propose to you to send your comments to the journal and I am sure they will consider it for publication if it fits their standard.

Dear Nooreddin, looking for the truth means looking at evidence. The evidence is that this hospital was already told by the UN that is did not follow good infection prevention practices ( there is an official report), the reports made by world famous virologists were available long before thsi article ( and dismissed by the Lybian court), same report was inadmissible again in court because it had been used once already ( which prompted the new research done for the above article), some children got sick before the nurses were there, some got sick after that, many of the children are coinfected with Hepatitis C, ect. There is a mountain of evidence and that has nothing to do with the west, being rasist, caring only for our colormates, or anything that you claimed.
Bobbie

So, why did the infections only start when the Bulgarian murderers joined the hospital? And why did the AIDS epidemic miraculously stop once they were arrested? Coincidence? Also, the courts already found them guilty, TWICE! That should be enough for any rational person. Or perhaps Arabs cannot carry out fair trials, only white people?

Typical western hypocrisy and racism. You people are defending murderers and childkillers who infected over 400 children with death. You should be defending the innocent children, and not some murderers who will get their just fate. Which part of "THEY HAVE BEEN CONVICTED AND FOUND GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW, TWICE!" do you not understand? Enough meddling into other people's internal affairs. They were given due court, and convicted in a fair and just manner.

Sohbet, any explanation why Libya let the nurses go, knowing that they would be released? Any explanation why the son of Gaddafi oficialy said that Libya made up that story?
It is time that Libya starts looking for the real problem.