The trial for 6 medics in Tripoli who are being tried for infecting children with AIDS (and from what can be gathered were falsely accused) has been postoned til the end of October:
The retrial of six foreign medics facing a possible death penalty on charges they infected hundreds of Libyan children with the AIDS virus was adjourned on Thursday after a defense lawyer failed to show up in court.
"The trial was postponed until October 31," said the court President Mahmoud Haouissa, citing the absence of leading defense lawyer Othmane Bizanti.
The six medics have been detained since 1999.
A first trial of the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor ended with their conviction on charges they intentionally infected 426 children with HIV in Benghazi hospital.
The supreme court last year overturned the ruling, which had resulted in death sentences by firing squad, and ordered the case to return to a lower court.
The medics have denied the charges in both their first and second trials and have repeatedly testified that they were tortured to make them confess.
The retrial had been repeatedly put off since it began in May. It was postponed on July 25 for two weeks when another defense lawyer failed to show up.Defense lawyer Touhami Toumi said he expected a resolution soon.
"The October 31 hearing session would launch the deliberation proceeding over a ruling. The court will announce a verdict in November," he said, giving no precise reasons for his prediction. Other lawyers said a verdict would take more time.
The defense lawyer is pleading sickness and justice is rarely swift, but I wonder if this is a play for time. I feel bad for these guys. They have been held there without resolution since 1999.
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