Thursday September 20 10:18 AM ET
By Galina Sabeva
SOFIA (Reuters) - A Libyan court is expected to announce on Saturday its
verdicts in an unprecedented trial of six Bulgarian medics and a Palestinian
doctor charged with deliberately infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.
The defendants, detained in Tripoli in early 1999, are accused of
intentionally infecting 393 children at the Benghazi hospital where they worked
with blood products contaminated with the HIV virus.
The trial of the five Bulgarian female nurses and one male doctor began on
June 2 after a long delay.
The indictment said the infection was part of a conspiracy by foreign
intelligence forces to undermine Libyan security and its role in the Arab
world.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty, as did nine Libyans who face similar
charges.
Officials and defense lawyers said on Thursday they were already mulling an
appeal against possible death sentences sought by the Libyan prosecutor.
``We inevitably should expect heavy sentences, including the death penalty,
given heavy charges against our compatriots,'' Bulgarian Justice Minister Anton
Stankov told Reuters.
``If there are convictions, we will appeal. We consider (the court session
on) September 22 merely as a stage in the trial which will continue,'' said
Stankov, who heads a government commission set up to help the accused medical
staff.
The medics' Libyan lawyer Osman Byzanti said an appeal could take an
indefinite time.
``No one can say how long it could take for the Court of Appeal to rule on
the case,'' Byzanti told Reuters by telephone from Tripoli. ``It could be a
month, or two months, or a year.''
HEAVY CHARGES
The trial has stirred deep passions in Bulgaria after two of the nurses
alleged they had been tortured in prison and made confessions under duress
which they revoked when the trial started.
Libya has denied the allegations of torture and says it has holding a fair
trial.
But human rights group Amnesty International said it was concerned by the
allegations and was monitoring the trial.
``Amnesty International has asked for prompt and thorough investigation by
Libyan authorities but according to our information no such investigation has
been conducted,'' a spokesman for the London-based group told Reuters.
``We have asked authorities in Tripoli to allow Amnesty observers to attend
trials in Libya but have not received a positive response,'' the spokesman said.
Sofia's best hopes are now pinned on the son of Libyan leader Muammar
Gaddafi.
Seif al-Islam, head of the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity
Associations, was invited to serve as an observer in the trial earlier this
month.
He played a key role last year when Libya successfully brokered the release
of Western hostages kidnapped in the Philippines and Bulgarian officials say
they believe he has experience in dealing with humanitarian crises.
``For us it is very important that he has expressed a positive attitude,'' a
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
Byzanti said it was still possible that the court ruling would not be announced on Saturday due to procedural wrangling.