Ashraf El Hagog was at the center of the Libyan Aids scandal, in which he and five Bulgarian nurses were accused of deliberately infecting 426 babies with HIV.

Now he is divorced from his Bulgarian wife, unemployed, and living with his parents in the Dutch town of Woerden.

When he and the five Bulgarian nurses were finally released by Libya, and flown to Sofia on July 24, 2007, they were accompanied by presidents, ambassadors and other important people.

"During that rush of freedom I heard a thousand promises about how wonderful the future was going to be," El Hagog said during a recent interview with NRC Handelsblad.

After his release, El Hagog was given Bulgarian nationality because as a stateless Palestinian he would have been left out of the deal with Libya. His parents and sisters are recognized as refugees in the Netherlands and will receive Dutch citizenship.

As a Bulgarian, El Hagog is allowed to reside in the Netherlands, but he can only work 10 hours a week and he is not allowed to study.

His lawyer Flip Schüller last year tried to get him permanent residency on humanitarian grounds, but the Netherlands justice system turned him down. He was free to go to Bulgaria, they said, his life was not in danger there.

Two and a half years after his release El Hagog feels abandoned. All he wants is a normal life, he said. "I want a job, I want a family. I'm not asking much, just a residence permit in the Netherlands so I can study or work here. There is nothing for me in Bulgaria."

To read the full interview in English click HERE

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