Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Update on case 44/1999 : The Bulgarian medics


I recently wrote about the case of alleged/suspected HIV contamination of Libyan children by some foreign health workers in Libya. See here . Well while we are awaiting the trial and verdict by the Supreme Court in late May below is the latest on this affair.

Libya is to impose a trade and investment embargo on Bulgaria for what it calls Sofia's failure to take responsibility [...] "The boycott decision was also prompted by the Bulgarian government's campaign to tarnish Libya's image" .

If this is true, then it is an escalation, at least it shows that other countries can impose embargos as well and it may I hope prompt Bulgaria to finally get on and act and face up to the situation and stop lobbying here and there from the EU & US. If they are innocent, they will walk out, if they are not they will be punished, and if a political settlement is reached well that happens too, look at all the court cases in the West. The accused have in my opinion obtained the most due process in Libya ever. Why does not the UN order an investigation into this just like the Hariri bombing, don't Libyan kids count ? They are suffering and 40+ have died so far. It is not only devastated families, it is lost childhood, pain, loneliness and tragic death.

4 comments:

AK said...

Liked the quiz on Jedi added it to my own blog as well

Now to the more serious post

Hopefully this case can be resolved soon and not lead to problems ending sanctions and also why has there been no reports about the palestinian doctor from palestinian goverment, seems a bit strange

also there was one part of the article which did cause some concern for me was this below

'Aids experts testified to a lower court last year that the epidemic started before the nurses arrived at the hospital in eastern Libya, possibly due to poor hygiene or the unsafe use of syringes and blood products'

If that is true then it does look more likely that poor equipment and sanitation in the hospital might have been the cause, although I admit I still dont know exactly what went on there and the workers should have reported problems in the sanitation

also highlander what is your own opinion on the death penalty

Highlander said...

Jedi , yeah everyone liked it. Perhaps we all long to be Jedis at heart LOL.

On the more serious subject: Yes it does seems strange only the Bulgarians are in the spotlight, and the Palestinian guy no body cares about him. Though I had read that Bulgaria was going to give him a nationality it seems they have not. Anyway most Palestinians in Arab countries only have a travel document (by the UN I think) except for those in Syria and Jordan who are granted nationality. There are enough problems in Palestine I think so one more in trouble is probably unimportant - although they should have cared. Most Palestinians his age and living in Libya have probably been born there so Palestinian authorities may not even count him in the census, he is not allowed to return according to Israeli Law,

Like you I'm concerned about the sanitation problem which I acknowledge , that's why I gave the medics the benefit of the doubt of unintentionally causing contamination. These things should not have gone unreported though.

You have given me and idea for a new

smokey spice said...

Highlander:

I think what's being questioned in this situation--and rightfully so, in my opinion--is the political and legal legitimacy and credibility of the legal process in Libya.

Have you ever been involved in the legal process? We have...for the last 12 years. It's not pretty... and we're just trying to get back, within the confines of the law, what's legitimately our property. Even following state sanctioned 'Il beit li-sakinihi' law (squatters law), we're on the losing end.

Why? Not because the home and utilities were not in my father's name...but because of our lack of connections.

So, aside from the imprisonment of political prisoners (which is important in my opinion), the system is quite obviously inefficient, corrupt, and unjust, quite frankly.

Given the international agreement against the credibility of the government in general, and given its evident opportunism, the questioning of the indictment of foreign workers in a country where foreign (or native) workers have no rights is neither irrational nor insensitive.

Having said that, I should also say that I am against many aspects of the the legal system in the US. The death penalty is most often used against the sector of society that is least able to defend itself from it.

Salamat

Anonymous said...

yes smokey_spice I have been involved :(
On the other hand there have been some encouraging court cases won and I'm hoping you can regain your property too..inshallah