The International Secretariat of the World Organisation...

The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) called for public intervention in the trial of five Bulgarian nurses and one doctor, one Palestinian and 9 Libyans, in Libya.
The defendants were arrested on February 9, 1999, following an investigation into an HIV virus epidemic in the Al-Fateh Pediatric Hospital in Benghazi, in which 393 children were reportedly infected. At least 23 of these children have reportedly died.
The defendants report having been tortured during their detention.
The People's Court in Tripoli, which deals with national security issues, recently announced it has dropped the charges of conspiracy to undermine the security of the state and ordered the trial to be sent to a criminal court.
It is not yet known which court will take the case, when the trial will resume, or whether this will be held in Tripoli or in Benghazi, where the alleged events took place. Despite the charge of random killing with the aim of attacking the security of the State (Article 202 of the Libyan Criminal Code) having been dropped, the defendants still potentially face several charges, including intentional killing with a lethal substance (Article 371 of the Libyan Criminal Code) and causing an epidemic through spreading harmful microbes leading to the death of persons (Article 305 of the Libyan Criminal Code). If convicted, the defendants may face the death penalty.