NationMaster - Encyclopedia: HIV trial in Libya

The HIV trial in Libya (or Bulgarian nurses affair) concerns the trials, appeals and eventual release of six foreign medical workers charged with conspiring to deliberately infect over 400 children with HIV in 1998, causing an epidemic at El-Fath Children's Hospital in Benghazi.^[1] The defendants were a Palestinian medical intern and five Bulgarian nurses (often termed "medics").^[2] They were first sentenced to death, then had their case remanded by Libya's highest court, and were sentenced to death again, a penalty which was upheld by Libya's highest court in early July, 2007. The Six then had their sentences commuted to life in prison by a Libyan government panel.^[3] They were released following a deal reached with European Union representatives on humanitarian issues (the EU did not admit the guilt of the Six).^[4] On July 24, 2007, the five medics and the doctor were extradited to Bulgaria, where their sentences were commuted by the Bulgarian President and they were freed. Libya has since complained about the releases (although, as of July 31, not to the EU), and the issue remains ongoing. Furthermore, a controversy has arisen concerning the terms of release, which allegedly include an arms trade as well as a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement signed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in July 2007. Both the French president and the Bulgarian president have denied that the two deals were related to the liberation of the Six, although this has been alleged by a variety of sources, including Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the leader of Libya. In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during... Colourful buildings in the city centre. ... The Palestinian flag, adopted in 1948, is a widely recognized modern symbol of the Palestinian people. ... A medical intern, in the context of medical education in the United States, is a historical term for a physician in training who has completed medical school, passed step two of the USMLE or COMLEX-USA, and is undergoing his or her first year of post-graduate training (PGY1). ... This article is about the occupation. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The arms industry is a massive global industry. ... Libya signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968 and ratified it in 1975 [1]. In December 2003, it agreed to dismantle its nuclear program, which Libya claimed was organized to counter Israels nuclear program. ... Nicolas Sarkozy at Paris, May 2005. ... Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi (Arabic: ) is a son of Muammar al-Gaddafi, leader of Libya. ...

The epidemic at El-Fath and the subsequent trials were highly politicized and controversial. The medics say that they were forced to confess under torture and that they are innocent. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi later confirmed that Libyan investigators tortured the medics with electric shocks and threatened to target their families in order to extract the confessions, and confirmed that some of the children had been infected with HIV before the medics arrived in Libya^[5]. He said that the guilty verdict of the Libyan courts had been based on "conflicting reports", and said that "There is negligence, there is a disaster that took place, there is a tragedy, but it was not deliberate." For other uses, see Torture (disambiguation). ...

Some of the world's foremost HIV experts had written to courts and the Libyan government on the medics' behalf, blaming the epidemic on poor hygiene practices in the hospital.^[3] The epidemic is the largest documented outbreak of HIV within a hospital in history, and it was the first time AIDS became a public issue in Libya. Two of the world's foremost HIV experts, Luc Montagnier and Vittorio Colizzi, supported the medics' case, and reaction to their convictions was swift, with a number of appeals from scientific and human rights organizations, and various official condemnations of the verdict along with diplomatic initiatives. For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ... Luc Montagnier (born 1932 in Chabris, France) is a French virologist. ... Professor Vittorio Colizzi is an Italian virologist and one of the most eminent HIV/AIDS researchers in Europe. ...

El-Fath epidemic in Libya and accusations

The El-Fath epidemic is the largest documented incident of nosocomial (hospital-induced) infection of HIV in history.^[6] The Libyan public was enraged and many foreign medical workers were arrested - six were eventually charged. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi initially blamed the CIA or Mossad for plotting to carry out a deadly experiment on the Libyan children^{[citation needed]}. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 438 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolutionâ€Ž (850 Ã— 1,164 pixels, file size: 144 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Immediate source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 438 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolutionâ€Ž (850 Ã— 1,164 pixels, file size: 144 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Immediate source: http://www. ... In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during... // Nosocomial infections are those which are a result of treatment in a hospital or a healthcare service unit, but secondary to the patients original condition. ... The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a frequently mutating retrovirus that attacks the human immune system and which has been shown to cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). ... Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qaddafi 1 (Arabic: معمر القذافي Mu`ammar al-Qadhdhāfī) (born 1942), leader of Libya since 1970 and a controversial Arab statesman. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... For the Haganah branch responsible for coordinating Jewish immigration into the British Mandate of Palestine, see Mossad Lealiyah Bet. ...

The crisis first came to light in November 1998 when Libyan La magazine (issue 78) published an exposé about AIDS at the hospital.^[7]^[8] In December the Association of Libyan Writers reported over 60 cases of AIDS so far that year in Libya. La interviewed Sulaiman al-Ghemari, Libyan Minister for Health, who told them that most of the cases concerned children. Parents believed their children were infected through blood transfusion in Benghazi's main children's hospital.^[9] Although La magazine was shut down, it was eventually revealed that over 400 children had been infected. Libya requested and received an emergency WHO team which was sent in December and stayed through to January of 1999. The WHO team issued a classified (and still unavailable) report on the situation. Look up who in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In February 1999 the Bulgarian embassy announced that 23 Bulgarian specialists had been "kidnapped". A week later they were informed by Libyan authorities that “precautionary measures” had been taken against Bulgarian doctors and nurses working at the Benghazi Children’s Hospital. Most of the nurses were recruited by Bulgarian state-owned company Expomed to work at the Libyan hospital, where pay was considerably higher than they could receive at home, beginning work in February 1998. On March 7, 1999 six members of the group subjected to "precautionary measures" were formally arrested on a warrant in connection with the case of infecting children in Benghazi with HIV.^[10] The group consisted of Ashraf al-Hajuj, a Palestinian intern, and Bulgarian nurses Kristiyana Valtcheva, Nasya Nenova, Valentina Siropulo, Valya Chervenyashka, and Snezhana Dimitrova. They later became widely known as "the Benghazi Six".^[11]

Libyan HIV victims

Well over 400 children were infected with HIV at the El-Fath Children's Hospital. Some are receiving treatment in Europe. The death toll so far has surpassed 50. Parents and relatives of the children protested, and demanded death penalties to be carried out.^[12]Libyan prime minister, Shukri Ghanem, insisted that the outcome of the trial was entirely a "judicial" matter. In a statement broadcast on Al Jazeera, Mr. Ghanem said that all efforts should now be focused on the infected children, "who are subject to a death sentence each day."^[13] The families of the infected children also demanded compensation for the actions taken by the convicted medics; figures of up to $10 million per family were mentioned.^[14] In July 2007, Libya announced a settlement had been reached, with $400 million going to the 426 victims' families in exchange for conversion of the nurses' sentences from death to life in prison.^[3] Shukri Ghanem Dr Shukri Mohammed Ghanem (Arabic: Ø´ÙƒØ±Ù‰ Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ ØºØ§Ù†Ù… ) (born 1942) is the former General Secretary of the Peoples Committee in Libya (prime minister). ... Al Jazeera logo Al Jazeera (الجزيرة), meaning The Island or The (Arabian) Peninsula (whence also Algiers) is an Arabic television channel based in Qatar. ...

The defendants

Initially, 23 foreign medical personnel were arrested, mostly Bulgarian, but 17 were released and have returned to Bulgaria. Additionally, 11 Libyan nationals were arrested and charged with the alleged crimes. Doctor Zdravko Georgiev went to Libya to see his wife (Valtcheva); subsequently he was detained and tried on the charge of illegally transacting in foreign currency. Several Libyans were also arrested and tried on non-capital offences, including Atia at-Tahir Ali al-Juma (director of the Benghazi hospital), Halifa Milyad Mohammed al-Sherif (head of hospital ward), Abdul Azis Husein Mohammed Shembesh (head of hospital ward), Abdul Menam Ahmed Mohammed al-Sherif (head of hospital ward), Idris Maatuk Mohammed al-Amari, Salim Ibrahim Suleyman Abe Garara, Mansur al-Mansur Saleh al-Mauhub, Nureddin Abdulhamid Halil Dagman, and Saad Musa Suleyman al-Amruni (assistant secretary of the health care sector in Benghazi).

Ashraf Ahmad Djum’a al-Hadjudj

Defendant number one in the case. In the prosecution's view he is the man in the deadly criminal ring of female nurses dedicated to a plot involving agents of foreign governments, large sums of money, illegal, adulterous sex, and illegal alcohol. He has been convicted of murdering 426 Libyan children in carrying out that plot, with the intention of destabilizing the country. He is an intern who started working at the hospital two months before news of the epidemic broke out. His family said they fled Libya because they have been portrayed by the Libyan media as "killers of innocent children" and are now in the Netherlands. Ashraf's cousin in The Palestinian Territories As'ad El-Hajouj told the Turkish Daily News, that Ashraf had lost an eye and that one of his hands had been paralyzed because of torture he endured while in prison.^[16]^[17] Ashraf al-Hadjudj was granted Bulgarian citizenship on June 19. 2007

Kristiyana Vulcheva

Kristiyana Vulcheva was not recruited by Expomed. She is the wife of Doctor Zdravko Georgiev who was charged along with the others but was ultimately found not guilty of all charges after having been convicted of currency violations. Purported by the prosecution to be the ringleader of the plot, it was claimed she spoke Arabic, and had a luxurious lifestyle. The other four testified that they had never seen Vulcheva before their blindfolds were taken off after their so-called "kidnapping" by Libyan security, when they were first brought to the police compound in February 1999. Vulcheva was also the only one charged and convicted of illegally distilling alcohol. The defense pointed out that no device used to do this was produced at trial. She admitted in court to having seen Ashraf at the Benghazi Children's Hospital. Unlike Ashraf, she never confessed to having sexual relations with him, which is required for a conviction for the crime of adultery under Libyan law. She retracted her confession that vials were given to her by a British citizen which were used to infect the children, denying knowing any such person as 'John the Englishman' or having been paid "large sums of money" to infect the children^[18] After the re-imposition of the death sentence in 2006 it was announced that Vulcheva would be seeking to have Vladimir Sheitanov represent her again. Plamen Yalnuzov had replaced him as representative for the Bulgarians in 2002.

After the verdict her mother made a public plea "We are sending our plea to the British government and the victims of Lockerbie. We are well aware the issue is painful to all, but in the name of the most humane of the professions we ask them to be merciful and let Megrahi go.", referring to Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi who is serving a life sentence in Scotland for the Lockerbie bombing.^[19] Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi (Arabic: Ø¹Ø¨Ø¯ Ø§Ù„Ø¨Ø§Ø³Ø· Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ Ø¹Ù„ÙŠ Ø§Ù„Ù…Ù‚Ø±ØÙŠ) (born April 1, 1952) is a former Libyan intelligence officer, head of security for Libyan Arab Airlines, and director of the Center for Strategic Studies in Tripoli. ...

Gaddafi has repeatedly compared the two cases. After the 2006 verdict he said "Organisations like the Arab League, the non-aligned movement and the Islamic Conference said al-Megrahi was a political prisoner and international observers said elements of foreign intelligence were present at the trial... Nobody asked for his release."^[20]

Nasya Nenova

Nasya Nenova attempted suicide. She testified that she confessed and attempted suicide because she was afraid she would be tortured again. She was interrogated alongside Ashraf and told the court they were beaten and that there was no interpreter. She did not confess to having illegal sexual relations with him. She, along with Vulcheva, are the only nurses who admitted knowing Ashraf by sight beforehand, but she said she had never spoken with him. She denied having attempted suicide out of guilt for what she had done. In court she stated that "I am not guilty on any of the counts. My conscience is clear." and "We had protection from no-one, we had no doctor. We were alone there with those men who did everything they wanted to do". She said she attempted to retract her confession on July 17, 1999, but that a Colonel Juma came and threatened to renew the torture if she persisted.

She is seeking to reappoint Vladimir Sheitanov as a replacement for defense attorneys Yalnyzov and Byzanti after the 2006 death sentence.^[21]

Valya Chervenyashka

She is from Byala Slatina. She was recruited by Expomed company. Her husband, Emil Uzunov, in a 2003 interview with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) said that the defence lawyer Bizanti was one of the torturers who beat the six medics during the initial interrogations. Chervenyashka had to correct the story. "I suppose my husband was too nervous and overreacted," she said.^[22]

Her daughter Antoaneta Uzunova has commented on the case."It's been terrible. ... The charges were absurd then, they remain absurd now," she said in 2005. "When I heard them being described as CIA agents ... I knew what would happen," said Uzunova, 28. "Then we found out our loved ones had been tortured in a most cruel way. It's a nightmare."^[23] At another time she said "Nurses from little towns in Bulgaria acting as agents of Mossad?" "It all sounds funny and absurd until you realize your mother could die for it."^[24]

She is seeking to reappoint Vladimir Sheitanov as a replacement for defense attorneys Yalnyzov and Byzanti after the 2006 death sentence.^[21]

Snezhana Dimitrova

Dimitrova did not arrive at the hospital until August 10, 1998. She was recruited by Expomed. She is the only one of the condemned to have been picked up for questioning in the roundup of medical workers on December 14, 1998. She was held for two days then, and rearrested with the others on February 10, 1999.

In a handwritten 2003 declaration to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, Snezhana Dimitrova, described torture that had included electric shocks and beatings.

"They tied my hands behind my back," she wrote. "Then they hung me from a door. It feels like they are stretching you from all sides. My torso was twisted and my shoulders were dislocated from their joints from time to time. The pain cannot be described. The translator was shouting, 'Confess or you will die here."'^[24]

Valentina Siropulo

“I confessed during torture with electricity. They put small wires on my toes and on my thumbs. Sometimes they put one on my thumb and another on my tongue, neck or ear. It had a hand crank to make it go. They had two kinds of machines, one with a crank and one with buttons.”^[25]

Zdravko Georgiev

Doctor Zdravko Georgiev the husband of Kristiana Vulcheva, came to Libya after his wife was arrested. He was charged along with the others but ultimately was found not guilty of all charges after having been once convicted of currency violations. Photo: [15]

Defense team

Scientific studies and reports

The WHO Report of Dr. P.N. Shrestha (1999)

The World Health Organization (WHO) report (1999) describes the visit performed by the WHO team (Dr. P.N. Shrestha, Dr. A. Eleftherious and Dr. V. Giacomet) to Tripoli, Sirte and Benghazi the 28 December 1998 – 11 January 1999 while the Bulgarians were still on staff. WHO redirects here. ...

Montagnier/Colizzi

There have been several reports done on the HIV outbreak. The most important of these, the Final Report of Prof. Luc Montagnier and Prof. Vittorio Colizzi was commissioned by the Libyan Jamahiriya, and arranged through UNESCO. Montagnier and Colizzi had access to all the files of the infected subjects available at the Hospital as well as samples from European hospitals that had taken some of the sick children, as well as the samples at Al- Fath. Luc Montagnier (born 1932 in Chabris, France) is a French virologist. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ...

Their report concluded that the infection at the hospital resulted from poor hygiene and reuse of syringes, and that the infections began before the arrival of the nurses and doctor in 1998. Through hospital records, and the DNA sequences of the virus, they traced it to patient n.356 who was admitted 28 times between 1994–97 in Ward B, ISO and Ward A, and theorized that this patient was the probable source of the infection. The first cross-contamination occurred during that patient's 1997 admission. The report concludes that the admission records of a total of 21 of the children "definitively prove that the HIV infection in the Al- Fath Hospital was already active in 1997" and that "Ward B was already heavily contaminated in November 1997."^[26]

Montagnier and Colizzi both testified in person at the trial of record for the defense, and the report was submitted in evidence.^[27]

Final Report of Prof. Luc Montagnier and Prof. Vittorio Colizzi

Prof. Luc Montagnier (Paris, France) and Prof. Vittorio Colizzi (Rome, Italy) were appointed as international scientific consultants by the Secretary of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

Libyan report

The prosecution advanced a contrary report drawn up by a Libyan expert panel. The scientific community became politically embroiled in events when the criminal court in Benghazi rejected Montagnier-Colizzi in favor of the conclusions of the Libyan experts. After the conviction, Colizzi said the scientific evidence being used against them "is so irrational it's unbelievable" and the verdict read "like a bad spy film"^[28]

Final report by the Libyan National Experts Committee

The brief report (Dated December 28, 2003) is given in Nature Journal, 443-7114. is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Upon examining the scientific attached papers, medical reports and defense memoranda: with respect to the scientific view and according to known scientific practices, the National Experts Committee deems the outbreak of AIDS in the Al-Fateh Children's Hospital as not having occurred as a result of a nosocomial infection and having not resulted because of the misuse and/or the reuse of medical instruments. Furthermore, the data available to us did not contradict the possibility of a deliberate transmission of HIV to the infected children.

Genetic Analysis first published in Nature

On December 6, 2006, the influential science journal Nature published a new study which examined the mutation history of the HIV found in blood samples from some of the children, and concluded that a number of those children had been infected well before the six defendants arrived in Libya. In addition, a common ancestor of the strains that infected the children was already present in Libya. The study was based on statistical models of the rate of evolution in HIV derived from previous outbreaks.^[29]^[30]^[31] The publication was reported in newspapers world-wide and sparked an editorial campaign by Nature calling for the acquittal of the defendants. is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nature is a prominent scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869. ... Nature is a prominent scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869. ...

The authors of the study agreed to make fully available all the data they had used so that independent confirmations could be made.

The head of the association of the HIV infected children in the country claimed that the study had no scientific value.^[32]

Refutation of the Genetic Analysis study in The Libyan Journal of Medicine

Omar Bagasra, MD, PhD Department of Biology, South Carolina Center for Biotechnology

Libyan Journal of Medicine: How Do We Find the Truth?

Prof Omar Bagasra and his group discussed in detail the previous published reports and asked for examination of the CD4+ T lymphocytes of the infected children to exclude the possibility of their intentional infection with HIV.^[34]

Nobel Laureates

114 Nobel Laureates in the sciences co-signed an open letter to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi calling for a fair trial.^[35]

Torture

All of the defendants said they had been tortured. This was later confirmed by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the leader of Libya. He said that the confessions were extracted through torture with electric shocks and threats targeted at the medic's families, and confirmed that some of the children had been infected with HIV before the medics arrived in Libya^[5]. He said that the guilty verdict of the Libyan courts had been based on "conflicting reports", and said that

Ashraf Ahmad Djum’a al-Hadjudj has reportedly lost an eye and one of his hands has been paralyzed. Snezhana Dimitrova declared that her hands were tied behind her back and she was hung from a door dislocating her shoulders, and that she was told to "confess or you will die here". Nasya Nenova testified that "We were alone there with those men who did everything they wanted to do". In May, 2005 Human Rights Watch interviewed them in Jadida prison.

Ashraf Ahmad Jum'a, the Palestinian Intern, told Human Rights Watch “We had barbaric, sadistic torture for a crime we didn’t do,” “They used electric shocks, drugs, beatings, police dogs, sleep prevention.” The interview was conducted in the presence of a prison guard. “The confession was like multiple choice, and when I gave a wrong answer they shocked me,”^[36]

Valentina Siropulo, told Human Rights Watch “I confessed during torture with electricity. They put small wires on my toes and on my thumbs. Sometimes they put one on my thumb and another on either my tongue, neck or ear,” “They had two kinds of machines, one with a crank and one with buttons.”

Kristiana Valceva, said interrogators used a small machine with cables and a handle that produced electricity. “During the shocks and torture they asked me where the AIDS came from and what is your role...” She said that Libyan interrogators subjected her to electric shocks on her breasts and genitals. “My confession was all in Arabic without translation,” ... “We were ready to sign anything just to stop the torture.”^[36]^[37]

Lawyers for the accused medical personnel have asked for 5 million Libyan dinars (approx. 3.7M USD/3.1M EUR) as compensation. Much of the evidence is based on medical reports prepared by authorities from Bulgaria relating to marks and scars on the defendants. All of the accused Libyans deny the charges, and none of them were jailed. After several procedural delays, their trial began in late May 2005. On June 7, 2005, the 10 defendants were acquitted.^[38] ISO 4217 Code LYD User(s) Libya Inflation rate -1% Source The World Factbook, 2005 est. ... is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The prisoners were sued by several Libyan police officers for slandering them with the allegations of torture. However, on May 27, 2007, the prisoners were acquitted of these charges and the plaintiffs ordered to pay the legal fees.^[39] is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Trials

The first case against the medics was brought in the (now disbanded) People’s Court (Mahkamat al-Sha`b), a special court for crimes against the state. The trial began on February 7, 2000. The charges were: intentionally "murdering with a lethal substance (Article 371 of the Penal Code), randomly killing with the aim of attacking the security of the State (Article 202), and causing an epidemic through spreading harmful virus, leading to the death of persons (Article 305)." In addition, the Bulgarians were accused of acting contrary to Libyan customs and traditions, by engaging in non-marital sexual relations and drinking alcohol in public places, distilling alcohol, and illegally transacting in foreign currency.^[10]^[40] Zina (Arabic: Ø§Ù„Ø²Ù†Ø§Ø¡) is extramarital sex in Islam. ... In Islam, Alcohol is forbiden to drink, but is allowed to be used for medical and other purposes. ... Various forms of controls imposed by a government on the purchase/sale of foreign currencies by residents or on the purchase/sale of local currency by nonresidents. ...

In April of 2001 Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi made a speech at the African summit on HIV/AIDS. He told the conference that the world AIDS epidemic started when "CIA laboratories lost control over the virus which they were testing on black Haitian prisoners"^[41] He called the HIV crisis in Benghazi "an odious crime" and questioned who was behind it."Some said it was the CIA. Others said it was the Mossad Israeli intelligence. They carried out an experiment on these children." He went on to say that the trial would be "an international trial, like the Lockerbie trial."^[42]^[43] Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qaddafi 1 (Arabic: معمر القذافي Mu`ammar al-Qadhdhāfī) (born 1942), leader of Libya since 1970 and a controversial Arab statesman. ... There are a number of theories about AIDS that make claims about the origin and/or nature of HIV and AIDS that differ radically from mainstream beliefs. ... CIA redirects here. ... For the Haganah branch responsible for coordinating Jewish immigration into the British Mandate of Palestine, see Mossad Lealiyah Bet. ... The trial began on May 3, 2000 The Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial began on May 3, 2000, which was 11 years, four months and 13 days after the sabotage of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988. ...

First trial

The defendants all plead not guilty. The Prosecution submitted the Defendant's confessions in evidence, but the defendants all repudiated their confessions. They gave interviews and testified at trial that they were forced to confess by the use of torture.^[44]^[36]^[37] This led to charges being filed against 10 Libyan security personnel, some of whom later claimed they had also been tortured, tortured to confess that they had tortured the medics.^[10] The guards were eventually acquitted in subsequent trials. For other uses, see Torture (disambiguation). ...

The prosecution described a plot to disrupt Libya by foreign secret services."To those services, child killing is nothing new. In this way they want to prevent Libya from playing an important role in the Arab World and to disturb calm in the country. The killing of the children by that virus is a means by which those secret services achieve their ends" In calling for the death penalty the prosecutor said:"These people have no moral human feelings once they have killed those children. They have sold themselves to the devil, even though the Jamahiriya has given them the right to work and live without let or hindrance." He described the epidemic as a "national catastrophe."^[45]

The defendants denied being part of a conspiracy. Nenova, Chervenyashka, Siropoulo and Dimitrova testified that they did not know Vulcheva until 24 hours after what they called their "kidnapping" from Benghazi, and, according to Nenova, only after their blindfolds were taken off. Vulcheva denied knowing John the Englishman or Adel the Egyptian. They all denied that they had been paid "large sums of money" to infect the children. Nenova and Vulcheva admitted that they had seen Ashraf at the Benghazi Children's Hospital, but testified that they did not communicate with him and did not perform any tasks assigned by him.^[45]

The defense lawyers argued that physical evidence on all the charges was lacking, including, the blood bottles alleged to contain contaminated plasma, the device alleged to have been used by Kristiyana Vulcheva to distil alcohol, the syringes which were alleged to have been used to commit the crime, and the photos alleged to show sexual relationships between the defendants. Lawyer Sheitanov, argued that the medics had neither the time nor the conditions to carry out a conspiracy to commit the crime, since Nenova, Siropoulo and Chervenyashka started work at the children's hospital on February 17, 1998, Dimitrova on August 10, and Ashraf on August 1, 1998.^[45]

A year after the trial began, the People's Court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction in the matter."The People's Court has the jurisdiction to pronounce itself on state security-related cases and believes itself incompetent on this matter, the spreading of the HIV virus which caused the death of more than one person is a fact, but the claims that the defendants were conspiring against the Libyan state are dubious and controversial"^[45] The case was then bound over to ordinary criminal court. The People's Court was disbanded in 2005.^[46]

Second trial

The second trial took place in the Benghazi Appeals Court, beginning July 8, 2003. The judges were from Derma, a town neighboring Benghazi. Judges from Tripoli and Benghazi refused to take on the case due to the high level of public sentiment in those cities. Tight security measures were in place. Police officers with submachine guns guarded the venue as relatives of the children gathered in front. is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The prosecutor stated that the case documents did not reflect the real number of children. The real number of children is 429. A report by prominent AIDS experts Luc Montagnier and Vittorio Colizzi was admitted in evidence.

Prof. Luc Montagnier and Prof. Vittorio Colizzito were called to testify in person on behalf of the medics.

Professor Montagnier, the co-discoverer of AIDS, testified that the virus in the 393 children studied is a rare type found mostly in West African but also through out the continent. Montagnier told the court that the outbreak was probably started by an infected child admitted for treatment at the hospital. He said that injection was not the only possible means of infection, any other manipulation involving penetration of the skin, or even multiple use of the same oxygen mask, could have transmitted the virus. Montagnier was certain that the epidemic at the hospital started about a year before the Bulgarian nurses were hired. He said he was familiar with the case before his first visit to Libya in 1999 because he was in the process of studying the cases of hundreds of HIV-positive children from Al-Fath that were being examined or treated in hospitals in Switzerland, France and Italy. At the time he was working on these cases, some of the children did not yet have the symptoms because the incubation period of the virus is about 10 years.

Under cross examination Montagnier stated that it is possible to preserve the virus and then reactivate it if it has been held in plasma. It could be kept active for several days, depending on how it is stored. He testified that he was not aware of the existence of the technical capacity in Libya for monitoring this kind of storage, either during the epidemic or currently. Montagnier testified that during his first visit, the health authorities in Libya and the management of the Benghazi hospital showed serious concern over the infection, and that at the time they had no idea of the cause of the epidemic's spread.

When questioned by the Bulgarian defense; he affirmed that the infection could have started outside the hospital ward where the Bulgarians were working.

The Court ordered a new expert study of the case record. It received the report from the Libyan panel in December. Contrary to the findings of Prof. Luc Montagnier and Prof. Vittorio Colizzi, this panel concluded that there was no evidence that an in-hospital infection led to the AIDS outbreak at the Benghazi hospital that affected 426 children. The Libyan doctors concluded that the mass infections were more likely due to deliberate actions.

Two of the Libyan experts were brought in to testify for the prosecution, Awad Abudjadja of the Libyan national committee on AIDS and Busha Allo, head of the infectious diseases ward of the Al Jamahiriya hospital in Tripoli. They testified that the virus load in the blood of the infected children was too high, an indication that the infection was intentional.

Another Libyan virologist Salim Al-Agiri was summoned by the defense. He told the court that the infection at the Benghazi children's hospital was due to lack of prevention and poor control.

The prosecutors called for the death penalty based on Nassya Nenova's confession. Nenova admitted in writing to injecting children with contaminated products that she had gotten from the Palestinian Ashraf al-Hajuj. According to the confession she was unaware that they contained HIV, and believed she was testing a new drug. Nenova withdrew her confession before the Libyan People's Court in 2001 and told that court they were extracted under duress. Libyan law disregards confessions extracted with violence.

The prosecutors claimed that Kristiana Vulcheva acted as the mastermind. They introduced transcripts of her bank accounts and said she performed money transfers, paying the other defendants. The prosecutors averred that Vulcheva had a luxurious lifestyle and that she speaks Arabic, citing that as a further proof of her guilt.

One piece of material evidence which they said called for the death penalty were five containers of plasma protein found to contain four varieties of HIV according to a report by Awad Abudadjadja, a coordinator of the Libyan national committee on AIDS.

On May 6, 2004 the Criminal Court in Benghazi sentenced to death by firing squad; Ashraf al-Hajuj, Kristiyana Valtcheva, Nasya Nenova, Valentina Siropulo, Valya Chervenyashka, and Snezhana Dimitrova, finding them guilty for the intentional infection of 426 Libyan children with AIDS. Dr Zdravko Georgiev was found guilty of illegal transactions in foreign currency and sentenced to four years in prison and a fine of 600 dinars. He was ordered released for time served. is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In public after the conviction Colizzi called the scientific evidence used against them "so irrational it's unbelievable" and said the verdict read "like a bad spy film".^[28]

Retrial

The convictions were appealed to the Libyan Supreme Court which heard the case beginning on March 29, 2005. The defense urged the court to revoke the death sentences and remand the case to the lower courts for retrial. Under Libyan law, the court could not accept any new evidence, although the defense team argued that there was wrongly interpreted evidence during the court sessions so far. There were a number of delays and postponements.^[47] Eventually the Supreme Court revoked the death sentences and ordered a new trial.^[48]

Bulgarian president Georgi Parvanov said the court ruling "confirmed our hope that justice in this case will prevail." President Parvanov added: "The unfair death sentences were reversed. …We hope that the swiftness and the effectiveness demonstrated by the Libyan court in the past days will help solve the case as soon as possible."

US State Department spokesman, Justin Higgins, described the decision as a "positive development since it removes the risk of the death penalty being carried out. As we have made clear before, we believe a way should be found to allow the medics to return to their home". The Council of Europe welcomed the decision and said it hoped the new trial will "comply with the internationally recognised standards of fairness and due process".

On December 19, 2006, the court pronounced its verdict in the retrial, all six were guilty, and again sentenced to death by firing squad.^[49] Following the verdict the court published a 100 page document on the website of 'Libya Today' newspaper explaining its decision. is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation), Dead (disambiguation), or Death (band). ... Execution by firing squad is a method of capital punishment, especially in times of war. ...

Unnaturally high levels of HIV in the children's blood testified to the fact that the infection was intentional.

The infection only spread in the specific hospital rooms that the five nurses were serving.

The research by the World Health Organization showed that the HIV infected children also had Hepatitis C, which was proof that the infection was intentional and malicious. However, co-infection with Hepatitis was emphasized as indicating poor hygiene and reuse of syringes by the WHO study authors themselves, as well as all of the other non-Libyan studies used by the defense, the opposite conclusion to this analysis by the court.

The court also said that it was not willing to accept the fact that the five were tortured, because another court has already waived this accusation, and found therefore that the defendants all confessed in full consciousness and without being subject of any violence or torture.^[50]

Commutation to life sentence

On July 17, 2007, Libya's High Judicial Council, its highest judicial body, announced that the sentences would be converted to life imprisonment.^[3] Earlier that day, Libya negotiated a $400 million settlement with the families of 426 HIV victims. The Judicial Council received authority to review the case after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentences one week prior to the commutation. The Judicial Council is controlled by the government and can commute sentences or grant pardons.^[3]

Terms of release

On July 24, 2007, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy officially announced that French and European representatives had obtained the extradition of the six prisoners (and release of the Palestinian doctor, who had been sentenced to four years' imprisonment but kept in Libya without a visa). They left Libya on a French government plane, with the EU's external affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and the wife of the French President, Cécilia Sarkozy, who traveled twice to Libya.^[51]^[52] On arriving in Bulgaria, they were given a pardon by the Bulgarian President, Georgi Parvanov. During his investiture speech as President beginning of May 2007, Sarkozy had alluded to the nurses, declaring: "France will be to the sides of the Libyan nurses ^[sic] detained since 8 years... ^[53]" is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Nicolas Sarkozy at Paris, May 2005. ... Benita Ferrero-Waldner (born September 5, 1948) is the European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy and an Austrian diplomat and politician. ... CÃ©cilia Sarkozy (b. ... Georgi Sedefchov Parvanov (Bulgarian: ) (born 28 June 1957) has been president of Bulgaria since 22 January 2002. ... For other uses, see SIC. Sic is a Latin word, originally sicut [1] meaning thus, so, or just as that. In writing, it is placed within square brackets and usually italicized â€” [sic] â€” to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation, and/or other preceding quoted material has been...

The six prisoners were released after extensive negotiations between the EU (including Bulgaria, and particularly France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife) and Libya. As a result of the resolution of the crisis, negotiations for further restoring Libya's ties to the EU are in progress. Nicolas Sarkozy at Paris, May 2005. ...

The French President said that “some humanitarian mediation” by the “friendly” government of Qatar was decisive in helping with the release of the medics. Sarkozy claimed that no additional money was given by France, Bulgaria, or the European Union in addition to the amount stipulated in the private agreement previously reached with the Libyan families ^[54]. He also confirmed that the release of the medics would allow him to perform an official visit to Libya to meet the Libyan president to negotiate other international issues.^[55]

The EU believes the Six are innocent - Libya does not. Libya complained that the Six should not have been pardoned once they reached Bulgaria. Libya petitioned the Arab League, and was supported by Oman, but, as of July 31, no definitive Arab League support had been decided on and no complaint had been filed with the EU. Headquarters Cairo, Egypt1 Official languages Arabic Membership 22 Arab states 2 observer states Leaders - Secretary General Amr Moussa (since 2001) - Council of the Arab League Sudan - Speaker of the Arab Parliament Nabih Berri Establishment - Alexandria Protocol March 22, 1945 Area - Total 13,953,041 (Western Sahara Included) = 13,687,041...

The EU maintains it did not pay compensation to either the infected children or their families: according to Sarkozy, Europe did not pay "the slightest financial compensation" for the medics' release. However, the European Commission committed $461 million to the Benghazi International Fund).^[56] Also, Bulgaria cancelled a probably-noncollectible $57 million debt owed by Libya ^[57]^[58]^[59]), and humanitarian funds were made available for both the infected's treatment and for a new children's hospital in Benghazi. Saif Gaddafi declared that the humanitarian aid to the Benghazi hospital amounted to "not less than 300 million euros," which was denied by the French who declared that it was largely over-estimated ^[60]. The Benghazi International Fund received from abroad 600 million Libyan dinars and Libya received promises of equipment and personnel to train of Libyan medics over a period of five years.^[59] Berlaymont, the Commissions seat The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. ...

Fuincluding market access for Libyan goods, assistance with border management and scholarships for Libyan students in the EU.

Initially Kadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, contradicted Sarkozy's claim that no additional agreements had been made. In exchange for the release of the nurses, he said Nicolas Sarkozy not only signed with Gaddafi security, health care and immigration pacts (assistance with border management and scholarships for Libyan students in the EU ^[61]) : according to Libyan sources cited by the Agence France-Presse, a $230 million (168 million euros) MILAN antitank missile sale was also part of the release deal ^[62]^[63]. The contract would be the first made by Lybia since 2004, and would have been negotiated with MBDA, a subsidiary of EADS. Furthermore, a cooperation agreement on civil nuclear technology was signed by Sarkozy during his visit ^[61]. The latter was criticized by Greenpeace and by Noël Mamère, a Green deputy ^[61]. Sarkozy responded that Arab states should be trusted with nuclear technology to prevent any "war of civilizations," while his chief of staff, Claude Guéant, declared that "a country that respects international rules can obtain civilian nuclear energy ^[61]." Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi (Arabic: ) is a son of Muammar al-Gaddafi, leader of Libya. ... AFP logo Paris headquarters of AFP Charles Havas Agence France-Presse (AFP) is the oldest news agency in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. ... Type Anti-tank Nationality Joint France/Germany Era Cold War, modern Launch platform Individual, Vehicle Target Vehicle, Fortification History Builder MBDA, Bharat Dynamics (under license) Date of design 70s Production period since 1972 Service duration since 1972 Operators 41 countries Variants MILAN 1, MILAN 2, MILAN 2T, MILAN 3, MILAN... MBDA is a European arms company which manufactures missiles and is the result of the 2001 merger of AÃ©rospatiale-Matra Missiles (of EADS), Alenia Marconi Systems missile divisions and Matra BAe Dynamics. ... The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. (EADS) is a large European aerospace corporation, formed by the merger on July 10, 2000 of AÃ©rospatiale-Matra of France, Construcciones AeronÃ¡uticas SA (CASA) of Spain, and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) of Germany. ... Libya signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968 and ratified it in 1975 [1]. In December 2003, it agreed to dismantle its nuclear program, which Libya claimed was organized to counter Israels nuclear program. ... Greenpeace protest against Esso / Exxon Mobil. ... NoÃ«l MamÃ¨re (born December 25, 1948) is a French politician of the French Green Party (Les Verts). ... Les Verts (the Greens) is a Green Party in France. ... Claude GuÃ©ant (born 17 January 1945, Vimy) is a French civil servant, general secretary of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy since 16 May 2007 â€” an office similar to chief of staff. ...

Saif al-Islam announced the existence of these deals in an interview to Le Monde ^[64]. EADS also confirmed it after Saif Gaddafi's declarations, contradicting the official position of the Elysée Palace ^[65]. Another 128 millions euros contract would have been signed, according to Tripoli, with EADS for a TETRA radio system ^[62]. The Socialist Party (PS) and the Communist Party (PCF) criticized a "state affair" and a "barter" with a "rogue state" ^[62]. The leader of the PS, François Hollande, requested the opening of a parliamentary investigation ^[66]. The Parliamentary Commission is expected to be created in October 2007. The French left asked for Cécilia Sarkozy to be heard by the Commission, as she had played an "important role" in the release of the Six according to Pierre Moscovici (PS) ^[67]. Arnaud Montebourg had criticized her role, accusing her of having fast-tracked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner, while Sarkozy himself praised her wife ^[67]. For the song by the Thievery Corporation, see Le Monde (song). ... The entrance to the Ã‰lysÃ©e Palace. ... The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. (EADS) is a large European aerospace corporation, formed by the merger on July 10, 2000 of AÃ©rospatiale-Matra of France, Construcciones AeronÃ¡uticas SA (CASA) of Spain, and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) of Germany. ... The TETRA logo TErrestrial Trunked RAdio (TETRA) (formerly known as Trans European Trunked RAdio) is a specialist Professional Mobile Radio and walkie talkie standard used by police departments, fire departments, ambulance services and the military. ... The Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste, PS) is one of the largest political parties in France. ... The French Communist Party (Parti communiste français or PCF) was founded in 1920. ... Rogue state is a term applied by some international theorists to states considered threatening to the worlds peace. ... FranÃ§ois Hollande (born August 12, 1954) is a French politician. ... Pierre Moscovici (born 16 September 1957 in Paris) is a French politician, a member of the Departmental Council of Doubs and a Member of the European Parliament for the East of France. ... The emblem of the French Socialist Party The Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste or PS), founded in 1969, is the main opposition party in France. ... Arnaud Montebourg (born October 30, 1962, in Clamecy, NiÃ¨vre)is a French politician, and a deputy to the French National Assembly for the Socialist Party. ... Bernard Kouchner (born November 1, 1939 in Avignon) is a French politician, diplomat, and doctor. ...

He also linked the release of the Bulgarian nurses and of the Palestinian physician to bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom concerning the extradition of Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, convicted in the Lockerbie bombing case ^[64]^[63]. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi (Arabic: Ø¹Ø¨Ø¯ Ø§Ù„Ø¨Ø§Ø³Ø· Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ Ø¹Ù„ÙŠ Ø§Ù„Ù…Ù‚Ø±ØÙŠ) (born April 1, 1952) is a former Libyan intelligence officer, head of security for Libyan Arab Airlines, and director of the Center for Strategic Studies in Tripoli. ... PA 103 redirects here. ...

Following the controversy lifted by Saif Gaddafi's revelations concerning the arms deal, Sarkozy claimed that the arms contract was not connected to the liberation of the Six, declaring: ""The contract was not linked to the release of the nurses. What do they criticise me for? Getting contracts? Creating jobs for French workers?" ^[68].

Furthermore, Saif al-Gaddafi retracted his August 1 statements three days later, claiming that the arms deal and the agreement for the delivery of a nuclear reactor were not linked to the liberation of the Bulgarian nurses ^[69]. He stated that the deal with EADS had started 18 months ago, information that was confirmed by EADS ^[69].

Despite these denegations, it is commonally accepted that the arms deal would not have been possible if the Six hadn't been freed ^[65], as Europe generally would have sided with Bulgaria on this issue. The head of the Bulgarian intelligence, General Kirtcho Kirov, declared that important arms contracts and oil contracts were at stake.

Additionally, President Sarkozy pledged to sell Libya three civil nuclear power stations as part of a package of trade and assistance that will boost the role of French companies in the oil-rich country. During his visit to Libya on July 25, 2007, Sarkozy signed an agreement of cooperation on civil nuclear technology. He decided to build three civil nuclear power stations to the Libyan state ^[70]^[71]^[63]. According to Paris, the nuclear power stations are meant for desalinization of sea water ^[72], but Le Monde has pointed out that the Libyans quickly bypassed any reference to desalinization ^[65]. This deal was criticized by the French left-wing and also by German governmental sources, including Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler, Greens leader Reinhard Buetikofer and SPD deputy Ulrich Kelber ^[72]. And during Tony Blair's visit end of May 2007, the British group BP signed a natural gas contract for 900 million dollars ^[71]. This article is about applications of nuclear fission reactors as power sources. ... Desalination refers to any of several processes that removes the excess salt and minerals from water in order to obtain fresh water suitable for animal consumption or for irrigation, sometimes producing table salt as a byproduct. ... For the song by the Thievery Corporation, see Le Monde (song). ... BÃ¼ndnis 90/Die GrÃ¼nen (literally: Alliance 90/The Greens), the German Green Party, is a political party in Germany whose regional predecessors were founded in the late 1970s as part of the new social movements. ... Reinhard Hans BÃ¼tikofer (born January 26, 1953) is a German politician for the Alliance 90/The Greens party and one of the two current party leaders, together with Claudia Roth. ... Social Democratic Party of Germany Spectral Power Density ... This article is about the energy corporation. ... For other uses, see Natural gas (disambiguation). ...

Furthermore, Le Parisien alleged on 13 August 2007 that the agreement concerning nuclear technologies did not concern desalinization of sea water, but focused on particular on the ERP third-generation nuclear reactor, of a worth of $3 billion ^[73]. The Parisian newspaper cited Philippe Delaune, the deputy of the deputy director of international affairs of the CEA atomic agency, which is the main share-holder of Areva, the firm which products ERP reactors ^[73]. Although the French President denied any relationship between the deal with Areva and the liberation of the Six, Le Parisien points out a troubling chronology: Areva was called to present its products to Libya end of June 2007, a short time before the release of the Six ^[73]. The French Socialist Party, through the voice of Jean-Louis Bianco, declared that this deal was "geopolitically irresponsible. ^[73]" The German government also denounced the agreement. Through Siemens, they detain 34% of the shares of Areva's subsidiary in charge of building the ERP (Areva NP) ^[73]. Le Parisien (The Parisian) is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and suburbs. ... The European Pressurized Reactor (EPR or US-EPR for the United States specific design) is a third generation nuclear fission pressurized water reactor (PWR) design. ... The Commissariat Ã lâ€™Ã©nergie atomique or CEA, the Atomic Energy Commission, in English, is a French â€œpublic establishment of an industrial and commercial characterâ€ whose mission is to develop all applications of atomic energy, both civilian and military. ... AREVA (Euronext: CEI) is a France-based multinational industrial conglomerate that deals in energy, especially in nuclear power. ... Siemens has the following uses: Siemens is a German family name carried by generations of the telecommunications industrialists, including Werner von Siemens, Sir William Siemens, Wilhelm von Siemens and Peter von Siemens Siemens AG is a German electrical and telecommunications company, founded as a telegraph equipment manufacturer by Werner von...

These informations from Le Parisien were immediately denied by Areva ^[74]. Areva's spokeman did admit that negotiations had taken place early June 2007, but that no particular technology transfer had been agreed upon ^[74]. Furthermore, Philippe Delaune, the CEA's spokeman, added that in any case, any transfer concerning the ERP technology would take at least ten or fifteen years ^[74].

While Areva did admit that general negotiations had taken place, Nicolas Sarkozy formally dismissed all of the story, claiming it was "false. ^[75]^[76]" Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov also claimed that the arms and nuclear agreements were not related to the release of the nurses ^[77].

Movie

In August, 2007, shortly after the essential resolution of the crisis, it was announced that a movie, tentatively entitled The Benghazi Six was planned for filming. ^[78] The Benghazi Six is the proposed title of a film to be made covering the events of the HIV trial in Libya. ...

Diplomatic front

One of Gaddafi's sons Saif al-Islam al-Qaddafi, has admitted at least some Libyan responsibility. On December 24, 2005, it was announced that Libya, Bulgaria, the EU, and the US had agreed on the creation of a fund, which may have helped to resolve the matter. In the end, Saif al-Islam was heavily credited with the resolution of the crisis. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qaddafi 1 â€” pronounced Gaddafi â€” (Arabic: Ù…Ø¹Ù…Ø± Ø§Ù„Ù‚Ø°Ø§ÙÙŠ ) (born c. ... Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi (Arabic: ) is a son of Muammar al-Gaddafi, leader of Libya. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American...

The Bulgarian independent daily newspaper Novinar published a set of 12 cartoons mocking Gaddafi, Libyan justice, and the Bulgarian government's quiet diplomacy vis-à-vis the HIV trial. Publication of the cartoons caused outrage in Tripoli, and the Libyan ambassador in Sofia delivered a protest note to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. In response, the Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister, Feim Chaushev, and President Parvanov apologized and distanced themselves from the Novinar cartoons. Novinar is the name of a Bulgarian national daily newspaper published in Sofia. ...

The six medics were again sentenced to death.^[79] EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini quickly expressed his shock at the verdict and called for the decision to be reviewed, as was done by the Bulgarian government and international organizations, including Amnesty International, the World Medical Association and the International Council of Nurses.^[80] Franco Frattini (born 14 March 1957) is an Italian politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amnesty international Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization which defines its mission as to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience... The World Medical Association (WMA), an international organization of physicians, was formally established on 17 September 1947, pursuant to deliberations and decisions taken in the First General Assembly of WMA held in Paris, France. ... The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 120 national nurses associations. ...

The Libyan foreign ministry said international response to the convictions and death sentences was disrespectful to the Libyan people. The foreign ministry also said (as reported by the Washington Post) "The political stance expressed by the Bulgarian government, the EU countries and others is a clear bias to[wards] certain values that are likely to trigger wars, conflicts and cause enmity between religions and civilizations." ...

International: official positions

The trials have been condemned by The European Union, individual EU member nations, the United States and Russia.

The African Union (AU) Commission has expressed concern at what it calls "politicization" of the case. According to the Angola Press the AU Commission said all of Africa was monitoring the case with great interest, and that attempts to politicize the matter must stop forthwith. The AU also expressed solidarity with the families of the victims. It said people should not aggravate the tragic case, where 56 of the infected children have already succumbed to AIDS.^[81] Anthem Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together [1] Administrative Centre Largest city Cairo, Egypt Working languages Arabic English French Portuguese Swahili Membership 53 African states Leaders - Chairman John Kufuor - Alpha Oumar KonarÃ© Establishment - as the OAU May 25, 1963 - as the African Union July 9, 2002 Area - Total 29...

According to Sofia News Agency, The Arab League "asked all countries not to politicize the issue, as the accused have still one more chance for appealing their sentence. The League also underlined the need to be compassionate to the HIV-infected Libyan children in order to curb the consequences of this painful human catastrophe".

The Council of Europe passed Recommendation 1726 in 2005 titled "Serious human rights violations in Libya – Inhuman treatment of Bulgarian medical staff". The Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly severely condemned this verdict which is contrary to the fundamental values they uphold....The Parliamentary Assembly...categorically condemns the barbaric way in which they were treated in the first few months after their arrest and the torture and ill-treatment to which they were subjected.

European Commission opposed the position of the Libyan court decision to sentence to death.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Alexander Yakovenko, Spokesman:"According to our information, the Bulgarian medics' lawyers intend to appeal this decision in the Supreme Court of Libya. For our part, we hope that an additional trial in Tripoli, in which all the facts and the opinions of people involved in this case will be comprehensively examined''^[82]

The United States State Department did not agree with the decision of the court.

NGOs: Official Positions

In a statement on May 6, 2004, a statement from Amnesty International was released: "We are shocked by the imposition of these death sentences and call for the Libyan authorities to immediately quash them. ^[83] Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amnesty international Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization which defines its mission as to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience...

The ICN President Christine Hancock wrote: “The sentence is unjust, unwarranted and unacceptable.” “We implore the Libyan government to rectify this dreadful situation as quickly as possible. The health workers are being unfairly held responsible for a tragedy which has caused outrage in Libya.”^[84] The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 120 national nurses associations. ...

Dr. Yoram Blachar, chairman of the WMA Council, said after a meeting of the WMA wrote: "I appeal to the Libyan authorities to quash this sentence. It is completely unjustified."^[85] The World Medical Association (WMA), an international organization of physicians, was formally established on 17 September 1947, pursuant to deliberations and decisions taken in the First General Assembly of WMA held in Paris, France. ...

Many newspapers and journals came out against the sentences.^[86]^[87]^[88]^[89]^[90]

Development of media coverage

In Libya, "La" magazine (issue 78) published its exposé about AIDS at the hospital, but was shut down. Initial Bulgarian coverage focused on a scandal in the wake of the arrests when the Bulgarian news journal "24 hours" of February 24th published an investigation of money laundering at Expomed entitled "How we lost USD 5,048, 292 in Libya".^[91] The trial received almost no public attention outside Libya and Bulgaria until an account by Eric Favereau was published in the French paper Libération on June 2 2000 entitled "Libye : Six Bulgares accusés d’être à l’origine de 393 cas de sida Assassins d’enfants ou boucs émissaires de la Libye ? " (Libya: six Bulgarians accused of causing 392 Aids cases - Child killers or Libya's Scapegoats?).^[92]^[93]^[94] Libya had requested help and France, Italy and Switzerland had received some of the sick children. Eighty children were sent to France in May 1999. The Swiss paper Neue Zuercher Zeitung followed with the article “Bulgarians as Scapegoats” July 11, 2000 and the Washington Times picked up the story.^[92] In April 2001 the trial gained brief attention after Muammar Gaddafi gave his speech at the African summit on HIV/AIDS implicating the CIA.^[42]^[43] The US-sponsored Radio Free Europe countered with a conspiracy theory of its own, employing former KGB agent Viktor Suvorov. Suvorov claimed that the theory about CIA creating HIV and letting it loose in Africa had been invented by the KGB and was still promoted by Russian secret services, who were controlling Libya.^[92] This theory was widely published throughout the Balkans in Serbian and Greek newspaper articles. On July 2, 2001 the Washington Post ran a story by Peter Finn, interviewing Prof. Luc Perrin (who had been involved with the children sent to France. Perrin dismissed the allegations of a deliberate infection, and WHO spokesperson Melinda Henry told the Post that members of WHO missions in Libya in 1998 and 1999 felt that further study was necessary, but they “were not invited back.” LibÃ©ration (affectionately known as LibÃ©) is a French daily newspaper founded in Paris in 1973 by Jean-Paul Sartre, Pierre Victor alias Benny LÃ©vy and Serge July in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. ... The Scapegoat by William Holman Hunt, 1854. ... The Neue ZÃ¼rcher Zeitung (NZZ) is a major Swiss daily newspaper based in ZÃ¼rich. ... Cover of Radio Liberty booklet The Most Important Job in the World Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a radio and communications organization which is funded by the United States Congress. ... This article is about the KGB of the Soviet Union. ... Viktor Suvorov (; real name Vladimir Rezun : ) (born April 20, 1947) is a Russian writer and historian. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C.. It is also one of the citys oldest papers, having been founded in 1877. ... Look up who in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The case continued to receive minor attention until the conclusion of the second trial and the imposition of the death penalty on May 6, 2004, which provoked a major reaction, and worldwide television coverage.

Timeline

AP Story 24 Chasa (Cyrillic: 24 Ñ‡Ð°ÑÐ°, translated as 24 Hours) is one of the largest-circulation Bulgarian daily newspapers. ... Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi (Arabic: ) is a son of Muammar al-Gaddafi, leader of Libya. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area - City 234. ... Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is a London football club. ... Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgarian: ) (born January 30, 1981 in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. ... Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is a London football club. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Rana Jawad (born Freetown, 1974) is a Lebanese politician. ...

Further timelines

References

^ Kovac, Carl; Radko Khandjiev (2001-02-03). "Doctors face murder charges in Libya". British Medical Journal 322 (260): 7281. ISSN 0959-8138.
^ Human Rights Watch (May 9, 2005). Photos of the Bulgarian health workers. Press release.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Libya commutes medics' sentences. Reuters. CNN (2007-07-07). Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
^ HIV medics released to Bulgaria. BBC News (2007-07-24). Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c Libya 'tortured' Bulgarian medics. Al Jazeera. BBC News (2007-08-09). Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
^ Perrin, Luc; et al. (2001-07-10). "Nosocomial Outbreak of Multiple Bloodborne Viral Infections". The Journal of Infectious Diseases 184: 369–372.
^ Author unknown (November 1998). "Banned "La" magazine Aids expose" (Reprint). former "La" magazine Benghazi, Libya (78). Retrieved on 2006-12-23.
^ Bednarz, Dieter; Renate Flottau, Stefan Simons, Bernhard Zand. "Bulgarian Nurses Face Death Penalty in Libya", SPIEGEL Magazine English Site, November 9, 2005.
^ LA" interview Sulaiman al-Ghemari, Libyan Minister for Health, most cases among children. LibyanewsandViews (31 December, 1998).
^ ^a ^b ^c The trial in Libya 'Chronology of Events' December 14, 1998 through December 8, 2004 English version. Bulgarian News Agency (2005-04-18).
^ (2006-11-25) "Free the Benghazi six". Lancet 368 (9550): 1844.
^ Castel, Maela (12-21-2005). Seven Years in the Clutches of Libyan Authorities.
^ "Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem on Al Jazeera", FIA, 2005-12-31.
^ "Speculation over Libya death sentences", BBC, 2006-12-20. Retrieved on 2007-02-23.
^ "Ashraf Ahmad Jum’a al-Hajuj (al-Hadjudj/al-Hazouz)".. Palestine: Information with Provenance (PIWP database).
^ "Appeal from a bereaved Palestinian family", Turkish Daily News, December 23, 2006. (english)
^ A. Clare Brandabur (May 2004). "Palestinian under death sentence in Libya: Dr. Ashraf Ahmad El-Hajouj". (Web link).
^ Smith, Craig S.; Matthew Brunwasser. "Libya Sentences 6 to Die in H.I.V. Case", New York Times, December 20, 2006.
^ "Relatives: Trade them for Megrahi", Standart News, 19 January 2007. (english edition)
^ "Libya's Gaddafi suggests spy link in HIV case", Reuters, 30 Dec 2006.
^ ^a ^b "Relatives: Trade them for Megrahi", Radio Bulgaria, January 23, 2007.
^ "Hope for medics in Libya", sofia echo, 01 May 2003.
^ "Condemned Medical Workers Appeal in Libya", Associated Press, November 14, 2005.
^ ^a ^b "Time ebbing for 6 foreigners in Libya AIDS case", International Herald Tribune, October 14, 2005. (english edition)
^ (January 2006) "Libya: Words to Deeds The Urgent Need for Human Rights Reform". Words to Deeds Volume 18 (Number 1(E)): IX. Torture. Human Rights Watch.
^ Luc Montagnier, Vittorio Colizzi (Paris, 2003-04-07). "Final Report of Prof. Luc Montagnier and Prof. Vittorio Colizzito Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on the Nosocomial HIV infection at the Al-Fateh Hospital, Benghazi, Libya" (pdf). Retrieved on 2006-12-25.
^ (2003 August 16) "Libyan government lets AIDS experts comment on hospital deaths" 327: 7411. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd..
^ ^a ^b Rosenthal, M.D., Elisabeth (December 14, 2006). "HIV Injustice in Libya—Scapegoating Foreign Medical Professionals". The New England Journal of Medicine Volume 355 (Number 24): 2505-2508. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
^ "Molecular epidemiology: HIV-1 and HCV sequences from Libyan outbreak", Nature.com, 2006-12-06. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
^ "Molecular HIV evidence backs accused medics", Nature.com, 2006-12-06. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
^ "The last-ditch bid to save the Tripoli Six", The Herald, 2006-12-07. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
^ "Libya Denies Newest Evidence for Bulgarian Nurses' Innocence", Novinite.com, 2006-12-08. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
^ (3 February 2007) "The Case of the Libyan HIV-1 Outbreak". Libyan Journal of Medicine. AOP: 070201.
^ Bagasra et al. The Libyan HIV Outbreak: How Do We Find the Truth? Libyan J Med, AOP:070221.
^ Richard J. Roberts1 and 113 fellow Nobel Laureates (9 November 2006). "An open letter to Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi". Nature 444 (146).
^ ^a ^b ^c "Libya: Foreign Health Workers Describe Torture", Human Rights News, Human Rights Watch, November 15, 2005.
^ ^a ^b "Bulgarian engineer says he saw nurses in Libyan AIDS trial tortured", Agence France-Presse, May 17, 2006.
^ "Nightmare in Benghazi", The Guardian, October 31, 2006.
^ [http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=h1441 Not guilty on slander case}
^ Libyan justice: medicine on death row. opendemocracy.net (19-12-2006).
^ Nkrumah (3 - 9 May 2001). "Wolves in sheep's clothing-World Bank and the IMF announce a war chest to combat AIDS" (html). Issue No.532.
^ ^a ^b David Holley (May 9, 2001). "Libya Conspiracy Theory Puts 6 Lives in Limbo" (html). Los Angeles Times.
^ ^a ^b Annie Rusinova (May 3, 2001). "Gaddafi steps in" (html). TheSofiaEcho.
^ "Pending sentences of 7 defendants in an unfair trial in Libya", BHC reports, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, 12 September 2001.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d 09hearings.htm. The Trial In Libya. Bulgarian News Agency. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
^ (January 2006) "Libya: Words to Deeds The Urgent Need for Human Rights Reform". Words to Deeds Volume 18 (Number 1(E)): V. The People’s Court. Human Rights Watch.
^ "Libyan court postpones Bulgarian nurses ruling", Reuters, 15 November 2005.
^ "May retrial for Libya HIV medics", BBC NEWS, 22 April 2006.
^ "Libya to execute HIV medics", CNN.com, 2006-12-19. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
^ "Libya Indicted Bulgarians on "Intentional HIV Infection"", Sofia Weekly, Sofia News Agency, 30 January 2007. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
^ (source: Elysée Palace, by David Martinon, the official spokesman of the French President, recorded and broadcasted on French and Bulgarian TV and radio networks).
^ Sarkozy's wife visits HIV medics BBC, 13 July 2007 (English)
^ French language: "La France sera aux côtés des infirmières libyennes enfermées depuis huit ans…", Vidéo : Premier discours du président Sarkozy, RFI, 6 May 2007 (French)
^ "Compensation paid in Libya HIV case". Al Jazeera.
^ Press conference of Nicolas Sarkozy in Elysée Palace, broadcasted on all major French TV channels, on July 24 at 10:15 CEST.
^ (24) "Condemned Bulgarian medics freed by Libya after EU 'blood money' trade deal". Lanka Business.
^ Bulgaria 'to waive Libyan debt', BBC, 2 August 2007 (English)
^ Bulgaria forgives Libyan debt, Al Jazeera, 2 August 2007 (English)
^ ^a ^b "QATAR, CZECH REPUBLIC AND BULGARIA PAID FOR COMPENSATION TO LIBYA’S HIV-INFECTED CHILDREN".
^ Jean-Yves Nau and Nathalie Nougayrède, Quelle aide française pour l'hôpital de Benghazi ?, Le Monde, 7 August 2007 (French)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d David Charter and Adam Sage, Sarkozy under fire for nuclear deal to secure nurses’ release, The Times, 27 July 2007 (English)
^ ^a ^b ^c Tripoli annonce un contrat d'armement avec la France, l'Elysée dans l'embarras, Le Monde, 2 August 2007 (French)
^ ^a ^b ^c Les coulisses de la libération des infirmières bulgares, Le Monde, 3 August 2007 (French)
^ ^a ^b Natalie Nougayrède, Le fils du colonel Kadhafi détaille un contrat d'armement entre Paris et Tripoli, Le Monde, 1st August 2007 (French)
^ ^a ^b ^c Natalie Nougayrède, France-Libye : les zones d'ombre de la libération des infirmières bulgares, Le Monde, 8 August 2007 (French)
^ Molly Moore, France's Sarkozy Off to a Running Start, Washington Post, August 4, 2007 (English)
^ ^a ^b "France-Libye: la gauche réclame des explications à Cécilia Sarkozy," in Libération (with Agence France-Presse), 14 August 2007 (read here (French)
^ Henry Samuel, Nicolas Sarkozy defends Libyan arms deal, The Telegraph, 8 August 2007 (English)
^ ^a ^b Infirmières bulgares : l'achat d'armes à la France "n'est pas une contrepartie", selon le fils de Kadhafi, Le Monde, 4 August 2007 (French)
^ Christopher Dickey, The Politics of Blackmail - Lybia's 'Immoral' Games with the West, Newsweek, 1st August 2007 (English)
^ ^a ^b Christophe Châtelot, Le chef du renseignement bulgare évoque un écheveau de contacts secrets, Le Monde, 1st August 2007 (French)
^ ^a ^b Germans attack Libya nuclear deal, BBC, July 2007 (English)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Marc Lomazzi, "Nucléaire: les dessous de l'accord entre la France et la Libye", Le Parisien, 13 August 2007 [1](French)
^ ^a ^b ^c Areva: "pas de négociations sur l'EPR avec la Libye", L'Express with Reuters, 13 August 2007 (French)
^ Sarkozy denies Libya arms deal, France 24 (with Agence France-Presse), 13 August 2007 (English)
^ Nicolas Sarkozy et Areva démentent tout projet de vente de réacteur EPR à la Libye, Le Monde (with Reuters), 13 August 2007 (French)
^ Report on reactor for Libyans ‘false’, Gulf Times (with Agence France-Presse), 14 August 2007 (English)
^ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6934903.stm Film to be made about HIV medics], BBC, 7 August 2007 (English)
^ "Libya sentences medics to death", bbc.co.uk, 19 December 2006.
^ "In quotes: Reaction to Libya HIV trial verdict", bbc.co.uk, 19 December 2006.
^ "AU expresses concern over "politicisation" of Libyan medics` case", Angola Press, 2006-01-01. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
^ foreign media timeline. Bulgarian News Agency.
^ Amnesty International (6 May 2004). Libya: Quash death sentences against foreign medical professionals. Press release.
^ ICN (8 May 2004). International Council of Nurses Condemns Libyan Death Sentence. Press release.
^ (15 May 2004). WMA Appeals to Libya to Lift Death Sentences. Press release.
^ Bad blood: Libya's cruel trial of medical staff November 2, 2006, The Economist
^ A Travesty in Libya A new cure for AIDS: Shoot foreigners Sunday, October 29, 2006 Page B06 Washington Post
^ Nightmare in Benghazi 2006-10-31 Guardian
^ (2006-09-21) "Libya's travesty". Nature 443: 245-246. Nature. doi:10.1038/443245b.
^ Quiet diplomacy is not enough 2004-08-14 British Medical Journal. Accessed July 25, 2007
^ scandal with the eight Bulgarian medical staff uncovered USD 5,048,292 spent by state-owned company "Expomed". Bulgarian Press on Corruption Weekly Review. online.bg (February 20-26 1999).
^ ^a ^b ^c foreign media timeline. Bulgarian News Agency.
^ "Libye : Six Bulgares accusés d’être à l’origine de 393 cas de sida". survivreausida.net. (Web link).
^ "Libye : Six Bulgares accusés d’être à l’origine de 393 cas de sida", Libération, June 2 2002. (French)
^ "В Либия настоях да освободят сестрите", 24 Часа, 2007-01-27. (Bulgarian)
^ "Bulgarian "Raises" E-Money for Death-Sentenced Nurses", Sofia Weekly, novinite.com, 15 February 2007.
^ "Nurses' Defense Appeals Death Sentences in Libya", Sofia Weekly, novinite.com, 17 February 2007.
^ "Bulgarians Try to Cash in On Libya-Jailed Nurses Again", Sofia Weekly, novinite.com, 21 February 2007.
^ "Libya-Jailed Bulgarian Nurses, Palestinian Plead Innocent", Sofia Weekly, novinite.com, 25 February 2007.
^ "Bulgarian Doctor's Acquittal Appealed in Libya", Sofia Weekly, novinite.com, 28 February 2007.
^ ^a ^b (2007 March 9) "Libya death row medics will not be executed: report". Jurist Legal News and Research. University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
^ Spurs player, Dimitar Berbatov, sports Bulgarian campaign armband
^ Libya starts handout of HIV funds BBC News, 17 July 2007.Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
^ Bulgarian president pardons medics – Sofia News Agency, 24 July 2007.Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
^ Libya: Bulgaria Betrayed Us , Sofia News Agency, 28 July 2007.Retrieved on 2007-07-28
^ Libya details medic release deal – BBC News, 28 July 2007.Retrieved on 2007-07-28

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Contents

El-Fath epidemic in Libya and accusations

Libyan HIV victims

The defendants

Ashraf Ahmad Djum’a al-Hadjudj

Kristiyana Vulcheva

Nasya Nenova

Valya Chervenyashka

Snezhana Dimitrova

Valentina Siropulo

Zdravko Georgiev

Defense team

Scientific studies and reports

The WHO Report of Dr. P.N. Shrestha (1999)

Montagnier/Colizzi

Final Report of Prof. Luc Montagnier and Prof. Vittorio Colizzi

Libyan report

Final report by the Libyan National Experts Committee

Genetic Analysis first published in Nature

Refutation of the Genetic Analysis study in The Libyan Journal of Medicine

Libyan Journal of Medicine: How Do We Find the Truth?

Nobel Laureates

Torture

Trials

First trial

Second trial

Retrial

Commutation to life sentence

Terms of release

Movie

Diplomatic front

International: official positions

NGOs: Official Positions

Development of media coverage

Timeline

Further timelines

References

External links

Contents

El-Fath epidemic in Libya and accusations GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Libyan HIV victims

The defendants

Ashraf Ahmad Djum’a al-Hadjudj

Kristiyana Vulcheva

Nasya Nenova

Valya Chervenyashka

Snezhana Dimitrova

Valentina Siropulo

Zdravko Georgiev

Defense team

Scientific studies and reports

The WHO Report of Dr. P.N. Shrestha (1999)

Montagnier/Colizzi

Final Report of Prof. Luc Montagnier and Prof. Vittorio Colizzi

Libyan report

Final report by the Libyan National Experts Committee

Genetic Analysis first published in Nature

Refutation of the Genetic Analysis study in The Libyan Journal of Medicine

Libyan Journal of Medicine: How Do We Find the Truth?

Nobel Laureates

Torture

Trials

First trial

Second trial

Retrial

Commutation to life sentence

Terms of release

Movie

Diplomatic front

International: official positions

NGOs: Official Positions

Development of media coverage

Timeline

Further timelines

References

External links

El-Fath epidemic in Libya and accusations