- Target:
- Libyan, Bulgarian and Palistinian govenments
- Region:
- GLOBAL
- Website:
- en.wikipedia.org
The medical staff in question have been repatriated and cleared of all charges. Thank you to everyone who signed the petition and supported this cause.
Since 1999 five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor working in Libya (known as the Benghazi Six) have been twice sentenced to death by firing squad for knowingly infecting over 400 people, predominantly children, with HIV.
Four scientific reports, including one done by the World Health organization (WHO), all found the particular strain of HIV in question to have been present in some of these children since 1998, one year before the Benghazi Six began work in the Benghazi Children's Hospital. One of the HIV/AIDS co-discoverers even testified on behalf of the Benghazi Six.
Libya has asked for €10 million (£6.7milion) compensation to be paid to each of the families of victims, suggesting the death sentences could be commuted in return. Bulgaria has rejected the proposal, saying any payment would be seen as an admission of guilt. The Benghazi Six have maintained their claims of innocence and state the any admission of guilt was acquired with torture.
On December 28, 2006 the Benghazi Six were again found guilty and again sentenced to death by firing squad but have sixty days to appeal the decision.
We, the Undersigned, ask that further action be taken by the Bulgarian and Palestinian governments to repatriate the Benghazi Six, on whose case scientific evidence casts reasonable doubt.
We also ask that the prosecution in this case review its proposed compensation scheme in exchange for possibly commuting the death sentence, and further consider the mounting scientific evidence that indicates the innocence of the accused.
The undersigned also call on the Libyan government to further pursue the claims of torture, and therefore claims of human rights violations,and take all necessary action to achieve justice if these claims are found to be valid.
The Free wrongly accused medical staff in Libya petition to Libyan, Bulgarian and Palistinian govenments was written by Wynona Lavota and is in the category International Affairs at GoPetition.