Libyan court
delays ruling in HIV case

The Libyan supreme court on Tuesday delayed until January 31 a decision on the appeal of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death for allegedly deliberately infecting more than 400 children with HIV in a Benghazi hospital. Despite testimony at their original trial that the HIV infections were caused by poor sanitary conditions at the hospital and had likely occurred long before the health workers arrived there, a Libyan court last year found the workers guilty and sentenced them to death. U.S. and European Union officials have been pressuring Libya to release the prisoners, some of whom claimed they were tortured while jailed since 1999. Mohamed al-Maghribi, an attorney representing the HIV-positive children and their families, says the government requested the delay in the appeal to organize its case and provide new evidence. European Union Commissioner of External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner called the postponement of a decision in the appeal a "useful step" and said she hopes the extra time will allow the court to more closely review information that proves the infections were not caused by the health workers. (Advocate.com)