Libya Delays by Few Hours Final Decision on Jailed Bulgarian Nurses
Politics | July 16, 2007, Monday
The six medics have been detained since 1999 on charges of deliberately infecting the children with HIV and were sentenced to death in 2004. Following an appeal and a re-trial, they were sentenced to death for a second time last year. Photo by BGNES
Libya's High Judicial Council delayed by a few hours its long-awaited sitting on Monday to have the final say on the fate of the five jailed Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor.
The nine-member body, headed by the minister of justice, will convene at 6 pm local time.
The political body could approve, reject or cancel the medics' death sentences, which have been confirmed by the Supreme Cassation Court on July 11.
There are two key documents that should guarantee the council's session will be final.
The first one is the paperwork petitioning for pardon, signed by the medics. The second is an out of court agreement, reached between the families of the HIV infected children and the defendants, which would pay the relatives of each child USD 1 M in compensation. As a result of the settlement, the Libyan families have dropped their demands for executing the six medics.
The relatives are expected to submit Monday morning the official papers that prove they do not want the Bulgarians to be executed.
It was exactly the relatives' failure to submit this document that forced the council to delay its session, reports say.
The six medics have been detained since 1999 on charges of deliberately infecting the children with HIV and were sentenced to death in 2004. Following an appeal and a re-trial, they were sentenced to death for a second time last year.
The nine-member body, headed by the minister of justice, will convene at 6 pm local time.
The political body could approve, reject or cancel the medics' death sentences, which have been confirmed by the Supreme Cassation Court on July 11.
There are two key documents that should guarantee the council's session will be final.
The first one is the paperwork petitioning for pardon, signed by the medics. The second is an out of court agreement, reached between the families of the HIV infected children and the defendants, which would pay the relatives of each child USD 1 M in compensation. As a result of the settlement, the Libyan families have dropped their demands for executing the six medics.
The relatives are expected to submit Monday morning the official papers that prove they do not want the Bulgarians to be executed.
It was exactly the relatives' failure to submit this document that forced the council to delay its session, reports say.
The six medics have been detained since 1999 on charges of deliberately infecting the children with HIV and were sentenced to death in 2004. Following an appeal and a re-trial, they were sentenced to death for a second time last year.
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