International Federation
for Human Rights (FIDH)
Libyan League for Human
Rights (LLHR), Palestinian Center for Human Rights ( PCHR)
Organisation
Marocaine des Droits Humains (OMDH), Association Marocaine des
Droits Humains (AMDH)
Ligue Tunisienne des
Droits de l'Homme (LTDH), Conseil National pour les Libertés en
Tunisie (CNLT)
Bahrain Human Rights
Society (BHRS)
Amman Center for Human
Rights Studies (ACHRS)
Ligue Algérienne des
Droits de l'Homme (LADH), Ligue Algérienne pour la Défense
des Droits de l'Homme (LADDH)
Egyptian Organisation
for Human Rights (EOHR), Association
Libanaise des Droits de
l'Homme (ALDHOM)
OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OF
THE SUPREME COURT OF LIBYA
21 December 2006
Mr. President,
The International Federation for
Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisations in North Africa and
Middle East (1) express their deepest concern with regard to the death
sentence pronounced, on 19 December 2006, by the Penal Court of Benghazi
against five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor. Our organisations
welinfoe the decision of the Supreme Court of Libya to reexamine the case
and call on the president of the Supreme Court and its members to ensure
all the guarantees of a fair and impartial trial.
The six medical professionals,
detained since 1999, have been convicted of knowingly infecting 426 Libyan
children with HIV in a hospital in Benghazi, Libya.
They were tried and sentenced to death in May 2004, the decision was
overturned and a retrial was ordered on 25 December 2005 by the Supreme
Court on the grounds of irregularities occurred during the arrests and
interrogations.
A new trial has begun on 11 May
2006, ending with the Capital punishment of 19 December 2006.
Both trials were considered as
unfair, in particular due to allegations of torture to extract confessions
used against the accused persons and the omission of evidences. Strong
evidences which were presented to the Court demonstrating that the HIV
outbreak most probably resulted from negligent hygienic conditions and the
re-use of syringes in hospital as well as the traces of HIV presence
before six medicals' arrival were not taken into account.
FIDH and its member organisations
reaffirm their strong opposition to death penalty, as it fundamentally
contradicts the principle of human dignity proclaimed in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the right to life. Furthermore,
our organisations reaffirm their solidarity and support to all victims.
FIDH and its member organisations
call upon the Supreme Court of Libya to ensure full infopliance with the
international human rights instruments and in particular, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) - ratified by
Libya in 1970 – which guarantees the right to a fair and impartial trial.
In view of the serious shortinfoings of the trial proceedings, we consider
that the death penalty should clearly be overturned.
Yours respectfully,
Sidiki KABA, President of FIDH
Press contact : Karine Appy + 33 1 43 55 25 18 / + 33 1 43 55 14 12
(1) The signatories are the Libyan League for Human Rights (LLHR), the
Palestinian Center for Human Rights ( PCHR), the Organisation Marocaine
des Droits Humains (OMDH), the Association Marocaine des Droits Humains
(AMDH), the Ligue Tunisienne des Droits de l'Homme (LTDH), the Conseil
National pour les Libertés en Tunisie (CNLT), the Bahrain Human Rights
Society (BHRS), the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS), the
Ligue Algérienne des Droits de l'Homme (LADH), the Ligue Algérienne pour
la Défense des Droits de l'Homme (LADDH), the Egyptian Organisation for
Human Rights (EOHR), the Association Libanaise des Droits de l'Homme
(ALDHOM).
Karine Appy
Attachée de presse
Press Officer
FIDH
+33 1 43 55 14 12
+33 1 43 55 25 18
+33 6 68 42 93 47
www.fidh.org
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