Sat, Nov 07 2009

BULGARIA'S NURSES `SCAPEGOATED' IN LIBYA

Mon, Jan 08 2007 09:06 CET 591 Views
BULGARIA'S NURSES `SCAPEGOATED' IN LIBYA

In an article named Libya's AIDS Scapegoats, Boston Globe told the story of the five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for intentional HIV infection in Libya and called for more decisive international action for changed trial outcome.

The article traced the trial through the years, the manner in which international organisations tried to save the Bulgarians and the way in which Libya responded.

On December 19 the court in Tripoli confirmed for second time the death sentences of the five medics, despite reports of Western virologists that the HIV infection occurred before the nurses started working there.

Upon the confirmation, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said that the nurses "deserve to go home, and [the US is] very disappointed at the outcome of this verdict."

Boston Globe said that the US should make it clear that diplomatic relations with Libya were possible only if the medics returned home.

"Diplomatic action is needed not just to reverse this travesty of justice, but also to head off the threat this case presents to the willingness of health professionals to work in foreign countries that need their skills," the report said.

At the same time Libya Today reported that the League of Arab States called for Bulgaria and other countries to refrain from interference and to respect Libya's justice system.

What the infected children were going through was a real tragedy and all effort should be directed at lowering their suffering, a league statement said.

Write comment

Name:Comment:

Generate new code
Send your comment

More in this category

Debate: Should Roman Polanski be extradited?

Jonathan Andersen argues that justice, however delayed, must be served, while Jamie Stokes argues that justice has failed in this instance.

Lech Walesa for EU President?

A Polish politician recently suggested that Walesa would be a good candidate for the EU's new post

Poland: European Union must help Ukraine to fight swine flu

Ukraine has been hit hard by the swine flu epidemic, engendering panic in certain areas

Klaus signs the Lisbon Treaty

The Czech Republic president, a prominent eurosceptic, was the final hurdle in the the Lisbon Treaty's ratification

Ukraine closes all schools to fight swine flu

Urging its citizens not to panic, Ukraine on November 3 closed down all schools nationwide for a week to avoid the spread of swine flu.

© 2000-2009, Sofia Echo Media Ltd.

Web Design by RIZN

Sofia Echo Media is part of the Economedia Group.
The news and information content on this website is provided by our editorial team and is copyrighted. Any unauthorised reproduction or use of it is strictly forbidden. Reproduction of this website's content is permitted only with prior written permission from the Editor-in-Chief, should be propertly acredited and provide an active link back to our site. Comments posted by the website's visitors are independent of the editorial materials and do not represent the views of sofiaecho.com. Sofia Echo Media cannot be held responsible for the statements contained in visitor comments. The percentаge change in the shares' prices are based on the price of the last transaction of the current session compared to the price of the last transaction of the previous session. Bulgarian Stock Exchange data is not real-time, but updated every 15 minutes, and should not be used as a basis for decisions about buying or selling stock options.