PACE Bureau concerned over upcoming Libyan court ruling

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Bureau issued a statement on Friday (June 29th), voicing deep concern ahead of the July 11th ruling of the Libyan Supreme Court in the case of six foreign medics, who are appealing death sentences handed down in a controversial HIV infection case. The statement expressed “indignation at the plight” of the medics, who include five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor with a Bulgarian passport. They were convicted on charges of deliberately infecting children at a Benghazi hospital with HIV, although leading AIDS experts say they were not to blame.In its statement, the PACE Bureau said the Libyan judiciary’s upcoming decision would be the last opportunity to recognise the medics’ innocence. The statement also pointed to the need for proper medical treatment and support for the infected Libyan children and their families.