Re: Bulgarian Nurses in Lybia

Another letter signed by 114 Nobel Laureates in support of the
Bulgarian nurses was published in Nature:

Nature 444, 146 (9 November 2006) | doi:10.1038/444146a; Published
online 2 November 2006
An open letter to Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi

Richard J. Roberts1 and 113 fellow Nobel Laureates .

   1. 1993 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Chief scientific
officer, New England Biolabs, 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938-2723,
USA
   2. A full list of signatories to this letter is available as
supplementary information at
www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7116/suppinfo/444146a.html.

Dear Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi:

We, Nobel Laureates in the sciences, are gravely concerned about the
ongoing trial of five Bulgarian nurses, Valya Chervenyashka, Snezhana
Dimitrova, Nasya Nenova, Valentina Siropulo, Kristiana Valcheva, and a
Palestinian doctor, Ashraf Ahmad Jum'a, in Tripoli. The six face
death-penalty charges of deliberately infecting 426 children with HIV
at al-Fateh Children's Hospital in Benghazi in 1998. Strong scientific
evidence is needed to establish the cause of this infection. However,
independent science-based evidence from international experts has so
far not been permitted in court.

Libya is currently making efforts to join the community of peaceful
nations by renouncing weapons of mass destruction and adhering to
international standards regarding the rule of law. This trial is
another opportunity for Libya to demonstrate its commitment to
recognized values and norms. But so far Libya has failed to follow the
norms of international justice in the case of the charged medical
workers.

We appreciate the agony and the sadness of the parents of these
children and we sympathize with the difficult situation of the Libyan
authorities in trying to deal with this matter. However, we feel that
if justice is to be served it is essential that the defence should be
permitted to present its case.

Among the disallowed scientific evidence is a 2003 report, which Libya
requested, and which was provided by Luc Montagnier, a co-discoverer
of the virus that causes AIDS, and Italian microbiologist Vittorio
Colizzi. The report concluded that the infection at the hospital
resulted from poor hygiene and reuse of syringes, and also that the
infections began before the arrival of the nurses and doctor in 1998.

On 29 August 2006, a Libyan prosecutor reiterated the call for the six
to be given the death penalty. The next, and probably last, court
hearing is scheduled for the 4 November, with a verdict expected
shortly thereafter. A miscarriage of justice will take place without
proper consideration of scientific evidence. We urge the appropriate
authorities to take the necessary steps to permit such evidence to be
used in this case.

To uphold justice, and ensure a fair trial, we affirm the need for:

    * Defence lawyers to have the right to call and examine witnesses
on the health workers' behalf under the same conditions as witnesses
called against them, and
    * The appropriate authorities to call upon internationally
recognized experts in AIDS research to examine and testify on the
evidence as to the cause of the HIV infections in the children.

Yours sincerely,

Richard J. Roberts and 113 fellow Nobel laureates.
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