TRIPOLI, Libya, 12 July 2007 — Libya’s Supreme Court yesterday upheld the death sentences of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor convicted of infecting more than 400 children with the AIDS virus. But the verdict may not be the final word in the case. Libya’s Supreme Judicial Council, which is headed by the minister of justice, could approve or reject the convictions or set lighter sentences. Libya’s foreign minister said the council would convene on Monday.
“The court has accepted the appeal in principle but rejects its content, therefore the court decided to uphold the verdict against them,” Judge Fathi Dahan told the courtroom. The five nurses and the Palestinian doctor were not present in the court for the appeal hearing.
About 20 family members of the children who were infected with HIV rejoiced at the court’s ruling and chanted: “Long Live Justice!” after Dahan announced the decision.
“This is a victory for the Libyan judiciary system. We are awaiting the execution of the death sentence,” said the families’ lawyer Al-Monseif Khalifa.
In announcing the verdict, the judge mentioned nothing about a settlement announced Tuesday by a foundation headed by the Libyan leader’s son.
The Qaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations said that the families of the HIV-infected children reached an agreement with the nurses and doctor but would not say whether the deal involved financial compensation for the families.
Idris Lagha, head of the Association for the Families of the HIV-Infected Children, said that a deal would be announced in a couple of days. Lagha did not provide more details.
Libya’s ambassador to Britain, Mohammed Al-Zaway, has said in the past that an agreement with the families would reflect positively on the case according to Islamic law. Often referred to as “blood money,” compensation for death or suffering is a legal provision in the traditional Islamic code that is widespread in parts of the Middle East and North Africa.
