Snapped Shot

Always Watching the All-Seeing Eye

 

Ouch!

By Brian C. Ledbetter · Tuesday, December 19. 2006 09:30
Libyan judges enter a courtroom to pass the verdict in Tripoli December 19, 2006. A Libyan court sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death on Tuesday for deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the virus that causes AIDS, provoking a chorus of Western condemnation. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante (LIBYA)

I'm sure the scientific evidence the court used to sentence these poor doctors was unimpeachable...

(Welcome LGF readers! My apologies for not having details regarding the case yet -- I'm mostly a "pictures" guy, and haven't done any detailed research on this story's history yet. Does anyone have any thoughts on the court's evidence in this conviction? Feel free to sound off in the Comments section below - and do be sure to let me know if the server gives you any guff, so I can give it the ol' smackdown!)

Update: LGF reader Terp Mole has posted a brief list of fairly scientific articles refuting the Libyan government's case on the LGF comments page for this article:

http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/2006/09/science_would_prove_libya_medi.html
Libya's Travesty
HIV Injustice in Libya
Libya Urges Bulgaria Blood Money
Bulgarians sentenced to death in bizarre Libyan HIV case

Thanks for the links, Mole!

Update 20-Dec: Welcome, HuffPo'ers. I'm as incensed about this travesty of justice as some of you are. To those who aren't outraged, you might want to check in here.
Everything's a jumble right now, but I'm doing my best to get all of these catalogued immediately. Please bear with the mess, until I get a chance to re-order and clean these up.

Palestinian doctor Ashraf Alhajouj speaks to the media as Bulgarian nurses Nasya Nenova (L) and Snezhana Dimitrova (R) wait for the verdict in a court in Tripoli December 19, 2006. (Rafael Marchante/Reuters)


Libyan police guard the court ahead of the verdict in the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, in Tripoli, Libya Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A Libyan court on Tuesday convicted the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and condemned them to death, provoking shouts of approval from the children's relatives - but Bulgaria swiftly condemned the decision and reiterated its belief that the children were infected by unhygienic conditions in their Benghazi hospital. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)


Unidentified relatives of infected children demonstrate outside the court ahead of the verdict in the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, in Tripoli, Libya Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A Libyan court on Tuesday convicted the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and condemned them to death, provoking shouts of approval from the children's relatives - but Bulgaria swiftly condemned the decision and reiterated its belief that the children were infected by unhygienic conditions in their Benghazi hospital. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)


Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov, right, and Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, left, give a statement in the Presidency building in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A court on Tuesday convicted five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and sentenced them to death, provoking condemnation from the EU and Bulgaria and shouts of joy in Tripoli. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)


Palestinian doctor Ashraf Alhajouj (front) and Bulgarian nurse Valentina Siropoulo wait for the verdict in a court in Tripoli December 19, 2006. A Libyan court sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death on Tuesday for deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the virus that causes AIDS, provoking a chorus of Western condemnation. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante (LIBYA)


Policeman guard a man who protests for protection of the five Bulgarian nurses during a protest in front of the Libyan embassy in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A court on Tuesday convicted five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and sentenced them to death, provoking condemnation from the EU and Bulgaria and shouts of joy in Tripoli. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)


People protest behind a poster which reads 'The World watching You God also', during a protest in front of the Libyan embassy in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A court on Tuesday convicted five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and sentenced them to death, provoking condemnation from the EU and Bulgaria and shouts of joy in Tripoli. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)


An unidentified Libyan holding a placard against the Bulgarian nurses, stands outside the court ahead of the verdict in the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, in Tripoli, Libya Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A Libyan court on Tuesday convicted the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and condemned them to death, provoking shouts of approval from the children's relatives - but Bulgaria swiftly condemned the decision and reiterated its belief that the children were infected by unhygienic conditions in their Benghazi hospital. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)


Policemen stand guard during a protest in front of the Libyan embassy in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A court on Tuesday convicted five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and sentenced them to death, provoking condemnation from the EU and Bulgaria and shouts of joy in Tripoli. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)


Bulgarian nurse Snezhana Dimitrova, who appeared to have a problem with her lower left leg, sits in the caged dock at the trial of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor in Tripoli, Libya Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A Libyan court on Tuesday convicted the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and condemned them to death, provoking shouts of approval from the children's relatives - but Bulgaria swiftly condemned the decision and reiterated its belief that the children were infected by unhygienic conditions in their Benghazi hospital. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)


A woman stands behind a poster which reads 'They are innocent free them' regarding the Bulgarian nurses during a protest in front of the Libyan embassy in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A court on Tuesday convicted five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and sentenced them to death, provoking condemnation from the EU and Bulgaria and shouts of joy in Tripoli. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)


Bulgarian nurses Valentina Siropoulo (R, front) and Nasya Nenova are directed by a policeman in a court in Tripoli December 19, 2006. A Libyan court sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death on Tuesday for deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the virus that causes AIDS, provoking a chorus of Western condemnation. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante (LIBYA)


Bulgarian nurse Valentina Siropulo walks toward the caged dock, at the trial of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor in Tripoli, Libya Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A Libyan court on Tuesday convicted the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and condemned them to death, provoking shouts of approval from the children's relatives - but Bulgaria swiftly condemned the decision and reiterated its belief that the children were infected by unhygienic conditions in their Benghazi hospital. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)


Left to right, Bulgarian nurses Snezhana Dimitrova, Cristiana Valcheva, Valya Chervenyashka, Valentina Siropulo, Palestinian doctor Ashraf Hajouj, and Bulgarian nurse Nasya Nenova await the verdict of their trial in the courtroom in Tripoli, Libya Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A Libyan court on Tuesday convicted the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and condemned them to death, provoking shouts of approval from the children's relatives - but Bulgaria swiftly condemned the decision and reiterated its belief that the children were infected by unhygienic conditions in their Benghazi hospital. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)


A Libyan woman holds a poster with pictures of children infected with HIV during a final court hearing at a court in Tripoli December 19, 2006. A Libyan court sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death on Tuesday for deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the virus that causes AIDS, provoking a chorus of Western condemnation. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante (LIBYA)


A group of Libyans demonstrate their approval of the verdict in the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor outside the court in Tripoli December 19, 2006. (Rafael Marchante/Reuters)


A Libyan man holds up a sign during a final court hearing at a court in Tripoli December 19, 2006. A Libyan court sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death on Tuesday for deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the virus that causes AIDS, provoking a chorus of Western condemnation. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante (LIBYA)


Palestinian doctor Ashraf Alhajouj (R) and Bulgarian nurse Christiana Valcheva wait for the verdict in a court in Tripoli December 19, 2006. A Libyan court sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death on Tuesday for deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the virus that causes AIDS, provoking a chorus of Western condemnation. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante (LIBYA)


A group of Libyans demonstrate their approval of the verdict in the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor outside the court in Tripoli December 19, 2006. A Libyan court sentenced the six to death on Tuesday for deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the virus that causes AIDS, provoking a chorus of Western condemnation. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante (LIBYA)


Bulgarians wave the Bulgarian national flag, during a night protest in front of the Libyan embassy in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A court in Libya on Tuesday convicted five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus and sentenced them to death, provoking condemnation from the EU and Bulgaria and shouts of joy in Tripoli. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)


From L-R (back): Bulgarian nurses Valia Cherveniashlka and Kristina Valcheva, (front): Valentina Siropolou, Palestinian doctor Ashraf Hajjuj and Nasia Nenova are seen during the final hearing in their case at the Libyan Hight Court in Tripoli. The United States vowed to pursue efforts to gain the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death by a Libyan court for allegedly infecting more than 400 children with the virus that causes AIDS.(AFP/Mahmud Turkia)


A Bulgarian woman carries a placard during a protest in front of the Libyan embassy in Sofia. The United States vowed to pursue efforts to gain the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death by a Libyan court for allegedly infecting more than 400 children with the virus that causes AIDS.(AFP/Valentina Petrova)


Libyan Judge Mahmud Huwaissa presides over a final hearing at the heavily-protected Libyan High Court in Tripoli. The United States vowed to pursue efforts to gain the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death by a Libyan court for allegedly infecting more than 400 children with the virus that causes AIDS.(AFP/Mahmud Turkia)


Libyan men hold portraits of children infected with HIV during a final court hearing in Tripoli. The United States vowed to pursue efforts to gain the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death by a Libyan court for allegedly infecting more than 400 children with the virus that causes AIDS.(AFP/Mahmud Turkia)
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Here is what a handful of random people think about this article. But first, the fine print:
The opinions expressed here, even where approved for display, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this website, the management, or any other entity or organization, with the exception of the Vast Zionist Conspiracy. Those opinions we represent in style, yo. Please keep the language in these comments clean, as this is intended to be a family-friendly, work-friendly website. Comments not compliant with this policy will be edited for content where necessary. Abusive or otherwise illegal comments will be reported to the proper authorities, up to and including the aforementioned Vast Zionist Conspiracy. The Management cannot and will not be held responsible for commenters making a spectacle of themselves, even if The Management are the said commenters in question. In other words, don't take yourself so seriously, folks. We're all here to discuss the news, and more importantly, to have fun. Now go get yourself into some OCD treatment program—you obviously need it if you actually read all of this mess.

civilized world on 2006-12-19 14:42 #1
*The response of the world should be:
1- Withdraw all access to western medicine and technology, and all foreign medical professionals, within Libya; refuse treatment outside Libya to all gov't figures.
2- Put Libya back into the pariah state deep freeze they were in for years after their Pan Am (Lockerbie) atrocity.
3- Freeze all Libyan travel, trade and assets, worldwide.
4- Put out international arrest warrants for the so-called judges and other gov't appartchiks involved in this travesty.
5- Keep all of the above in force until these criminals have their own murder trials in the Hague.
Reply  
Brian on 2006-12-19 14:46 #2
*I do believe you've hit the nail on the head, Civilized! Thanks for sharing those thoughts with us!

Regards,
Brian
Reply  
flick on 2006-12-19 15:08 #3
*This just doesn't make sense.

The only thing that makes sense to me is, I am wondering if the medical supplies were in short supply at that hospital - specifically, the syringes. If they were reused without careful cleaning to give vaccinations or other shots, that could have spread AIDS among the kids.

As I recall, this type of thing happened in a Romanian orphanage some years ago.

Then to avoid the embarassment of the West knowing what cheapskates they are, the Libyan govt. blames the doctor and nurses.

Or have I been reading too many mysteries?
Reply  
omvi on 2006-12-19 15:17 #4
*This verdict makes sense only if you're a muslim. In islam logic and common sense is not required nor an option. allahsnookbar !!!
Reply  
Brian on 2006-12-19 15:40 #5
*Flick-

You might be on to something. Lord knows that the West is the de-facto universal scapegoat for every problem that plagues the world...

omvi-

Adherents of The Religion of Peace would never lie to us! Perish the thought!

;-)

Warmest regards,
Brian
Reply  
Mark on 2006-12-19 16:04 #6
*For a religion that celebrates death so much, you'd think they'd be happy. I guess they're angry because they didn't die as suicide bombers.
Reply  
Brian on 2006-12-19 16:13 #7
*Mark, LOL!

"And to think, little Abdul could've been SUCH a good shaheed!"

In fact that reminds me of Brother Abdul - be sure to go check out his "conversion" video for another good laugh!

Regards,
Brian
Reply  
Cosmo on 2006-12-19 19:18 #8
*Why is it that, even though there is a Palestinian doctor involved, the HIV virus was "made in Bulgaria?" Are we to blame the Palestinians too, or are the Libyans blind AND stupid?

...and where would the Libyans be without modern medicine? The last time they had good homegrown physicians was ca. 1492 when the Muslims were expelled from Granada and the doctors stopped by on their way back to Arabia.
Reply  
Brian on 2006-12-20 08:23 #8.1
*Cosmo,

I'm sure Libya would be LEADERS in world medicine if it weren't for that pesky embargo they went through.

(right...)

In the mean time, at least Libya still leads the world in DICTATOR FASHION!

Regards,
Brian
Reply  
Diehard_TH on 2006-12-23 11:26 #9
*Dare i ask what science the evidence proving the doctors innocence is?

Evolution perchance?
Reply  
Diehard_TH on 2006-12-23 11:40 #10
*I reference to your recent post on the Cobb county ruling i just thought i'd ask what area of science has recently proved the innocence of the 6 medics?

A hint :)
QUOTE:
"I am persuaded," says Jeff Thorne, a molecular biologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh who specializes in viral evolution. "This study shows that the accused medical staff are innocent beyond a reasonable doubt."

from here.

The travesty is that scientific evidence is being refused by the Libyans.
Reply  
Brian on 2006-12-24 13:01 #11
*Diehard,

I appreciate your input, however, without getting too deep into the very religious crevo argument here, I'd like to point out that there is quite a bit of difference between "viral evolution" and the theory of macroevolution. In fact, I think you will find that most creationists acknowlege the mutability of virii.

Now here's an interesting takeaway for you: try and find someb scientific concensus around thw question of whether or not virii are living organisms or not.

:-)

In any case, I hope that even is we disagree on this one issue, that we will find plenty of others to agree on!

Merry Christmas!
Brian
Reply  
Brian on 2006-12-24 16:12 #12
*(Forgive my "Death by Blackberry" in the previous comment. It was all spelled correctly in my head! Honest! :-) )

Merry Christmas again,
Brian
Reply  
ahed on 2007-06-22 08:42 #13
*i am writing cause i know my poor uncle is inncent and i wish you can free all of them
i dont think this court is right and my hopes are to make the 6 lady and my uncle ashraf al hjowj come out of the jail and the last word i will say is HIS INNCENT AND HE WILL ALWAY BE
Reply  
Brian C. Ledbetter on 2007-06-22 08:57 #14
*Ahed,

My prayers are with your uncle and your family. May God work to set him free soon, and reunite him with you!

Most Respectfully,
Brian
Reply  
waed on 2007-06-23 15:14 #15
*my uncle is inncent i know that for sure.my allah show them the all that my uncle is inncent i waited a long time to see my uncles face you people dont feel how i feel right now. i cant wait to see him. i do aalso feel sorry for the families that have been safring this ain with their childern may allah help them all.my only wish is to see myyyyyy nucle a life.
Reply  
waed on 2007-06-25 08:04 #16
*i cant decribe by words how i feel right now but i wish i can say to the the hole world thatmy uncles is unncent.i feel sorry 4 the people that ara suffring with heir childern but the only thing i could say to them that may allah help the but at the same time i wanted to say to them that my uncle is inncent. my only wish in this world that to see my uncle reunite with him again i have bee wait my uncle for more than 8 year i know my uncle is incent if i knew that he is the one that done it i will never forgive him but i wish you people know hoe i m feeling i set sometime a cry becz people dont know how you feel when your uncle in in jail. way ALLAH HELP EVERYONE THAT NEEDS HELP AND MY ALLAH RETAIN MY UNCLE FOR ME.
Reply  
ahed on 2007-06-26 08:01 #17
*i know im only 10 but my heart is broken for my poor uncle ashraf his inncent i wish u can understand that im fightin against the wrong


i hope god answer my prayers
inshallah ahed
Reply  
Valeriy on 2007-07-25 00:37 #18
*Hi!
I worked in Benghazi Lybia as a doctor in 1996 in All Jallah Hospital (I worked one week an Childrens hospital as well) and I saw as wounds in different patients were stitched by one needle as long as the thread on it lasts. I am sure that all nurses innocent. Thanks Gog and all people who helped him to freed them. Best regards to my former colleagues.
Valeriy (Canada)
Reply  
Brian C. Ledbetter on 2007-07-25 14:46 #19
*Valeriy,

I am honoured that you stopped by to share your story with us - and praise the Lord that they're free!

Regards,
Brian
Reply  

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