Dec 6, 2006
AIDS in Libya
Previously we reported on the case of six medical workers in Libya who face the death sentence having been charged with deliberately contaminating more than 400 children with HIV in 1998. The evidence in their defence has now reached the molecular level and is published today online in Nature.
Oliver Pybus and colleagues in an international research team has used the genetic sequences of the viruses isolated from the patients to reconstruct the exact history, or “family tree” of the outbreak. They assessed accumulated mutations and have demonstrated unequivocally that the HIV subtype involved in this case was already infecting patients well before the medical workers had even set foot in Libya.
The trial ended on November 4 and the verdict is expected for December 19. However, a growing body of scientific evidence already suggested that the outbreak was caused by poor hospital hygiene rather than deliberate action.
Thomas Leitner of Los Alamos National Laboratory has provided forensic HIV evidence in more than thirty such cases over the past fifteen years. He describes the Nature paper as “compelling evidence that the outbreak had started before the accused could have started it.”
Do you agree? What else should we as outsiders be doing if anything?
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July 24th, 2007 at 7:46 am
The five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian born doctor (now a Bulgarian national) have now been released after the parents of the affected children agreed to the dropping of charges. Their death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment early this month. The EU only began negotiations to free the Libya Six once Bulgaria had entered the European Union. Constant visits by the EU foreign affairs commissioner to Libya are thought to have underpinned this outcome.
June 7th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I thought that this info was very useful for my Lybia Project. Thank You
December 19th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
The BBC today reports that the Libya Six have been sentenced to death.
Declan Butler once again covers the story in more detail over on Nature.
The defense says they intend to appeal to the Libyan Supreme Court, which could be the last chance for the medics. Emmanuel Altit, the head of the international defense team, says the international community can help by insisting that scientific evidence be taken into account.
December 7th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
What’s going on in Libya presents one of the most disgusting government in the world besides mine whose international ‘face’ (image) is deem #1 and protected in a stupid way.