[brian]

President George W. Bush on Monday urged Libya to free five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death on charges of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the HIV virus.
"The position of the United States is the nurses ought to be free," Bush told reporters during an Oval Office meeting between him and visiting Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov.

The nurses were convicted last year of deliberately infecting more than 400 children at a hospital in Benghazi. They insist they are innocent and that the only evidence against them is confessions extracted under torture.



Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...101700602.html

[Jessy_RN]

How sad, there is no real proof of them doing it. Anyone would blurt anything out if being tortured.

Good bless them and hopefully there will be a positive outcome.

[oramar]

I read something somewhere about this. They are apparently being scapegoated to cover up that the goverment provided them with contaminated equipment and or blood products.

[NRSKarenRN]

President Bush just now coming out in support of these nurses?

ANA's been publicising their plight for a year and so have we:

Bulgarian Nurses Stand Together in Court

news: nurses/doc MAY die unless we HELP!

[VickyRN]

More information from the Center for Nursing Advocacy:

The Benghazi Six

October 17, 2005 -- Today a fairly good International Herald Tribune piece by Brian Knowlton reported that U.S. President George Bush has asked the Libyan government to release five Bulgarian nurses who, along with a Palestinian physician, face imminent execution for allegedly intentionally infecting over 400 Libyan children with the HIV virus. The New York Times and Bulgaria's Focus News English also covered the story. As the press pieces note, international health experts have found that the tragic infections were due to poor sanitation practice at the hospital, not intentional acts by these caregivers. The prisoners' plight has been the subject of protests by the European Commission and the U.S. State Department. Major human rights organizations and health care groups, including the American Nurses Association and Physicians for Human Rights, have called for their release after seven years of captivity that has allegedly included torture. If nurses' close contacts with patients subject them to criminal prosecution and even execution for what seem to be systemic health care problems, nurses will not just be unable to act as patient advocates, but may be deterred from serving vulnerable populations and having the kind of patient interactions that are critical to good outcomes. The Center thanks the press for its coverage and President Bush for his support, and we urge supporters to add their voices to those calling for the release of all six prisoners.

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/news/.../17_libya.html

There is also an opportunity to send an e-letter to Gaddafi et al. on behalf of the condemned nurses and doctor:

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/actio...ya/l_form.html

[pickledpepperRN]

Sent my letter.
Thank you!

[Mythreeangels]

I have no doubts that it was improper sanitation. One of my younger sisters (28yo now) has lived in China for the past 3 years. She states then when she goes to the hospital everything is given IV. They don't give her a PO Rx for infections, fever, etc, it's all IV. She states that they reuse their needles. Needless to say we have made sure she gets clean needles to take with her and use when she goes to the hospital, d/t the hygienic standards there. I pray that these nurses get freed, but the reality is that such a government like bulgarian would, probably, never admit their wrong doing. I hope I'm wrong!