Libya postpones foreigners' trial
2001-09-22 19:48
Cairo - Libyan judges put off a verdict in the case of seven foreigners
accused of killing 393 children by injecting them with the Aids
virus, saying Saturday they needed more time to study defence
arguments.
The six Bulgarians and one Palestinian - all doctors and nurses
- face the death penalty if convicted of murder and conspiracy in
the Libyan children's deaths.
"The court decided to continue studying the rebuttals presented
by the defence lawyers due to the size and importance of the case,"
the head of the three-judge panel said, according to Othman
el-Bezanti, the lawyer defending the Bulgarians.
The next hearing is set for December 22, when the court is expected to hand down its verdict, el-Bezanti told the Associated Press by
telephone from Libya's capital, Tripoli.
The delay "shows that there is no firm evidence about the guilt
of our citizens," said Elene Poptodorova, spokesperson for the
Bulgarian Foreign Ministry in Sofia.
"The postponement gives hope that the time until December 22 will be used to review all the facts," Poptodorova said.
The seven are accused of injecting children with HIV-contaminated
blood. Held since February 1999, the defendants have pleaded
innocent. Some have complained their interrogators forced false
confessions from them using torture.
The high-profile case has prompted protests from human rights
groups, with Amnesty International saying "there have been serious
irregularities in ... pre-trial proceedings".
Bulgaria has accused Libya of holding a political trial against
its nationals and has repeatedly called for an independent team of
international experts to study the case and testify.
The court has refused to allow expert opinion from Switzerland
and France.
El-Bezanti said that in explaining the reasons to postpone the
verdict, the judges said "the court is keen on making sure
defendants get all the guarantees Libyan laws ensure".
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has claimed that the CIA or the
Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, were ultimately behind the
Children's illnesses.
Critics charge that Libya could be trying to divert attention
from horrendous medical conditions at some of its state-run
hospitals, where, they say, disposable instruments are repeatedly
reused and basic rules of hygiene are not observed.
Libya could also be trying to make Bulgaria forgive it its
debts, estimated at $300 million, some argue.
The case of the allegedly infected children was first brought to
light in 1998 by the Libyan magazine La in the coastal city of
Benghazi, where the Al-Fateh children's hospital is located. The
government closed La a few weeks after the reports were published.
Besides the murder and conspiracy counts, the Bulgarians are
charged with drinking in public - alcohol is banned in Libya - and
engaging in extramarital sex.
Nine Libyans charged in the same case are out on bail. - Sapa-AP
- SAPA