Show of Solidarity on Eighth Anniversary of Bulgarian Medics’ Arrest in Libya

"February 9 marks a sad and absolutely unacceptable anniversary of the detention of the Bulgarian nurses in Libya. Our compatriots, who are also citizens of the EU, have the right to a fair trial which they have been denied for eight years," Pirinski said. "It should be made clear that no one stands to gain from the present situation and that there are only victims," Pirinski added.

"It is not only the Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor who are suffering from the present situation but also the Libyan children infected with AIDS because a just outcome of the trial would make possible a by far greater commitment to their treatment. Libya, striving to become a full member of the international community, also does not stand to gain from the present situation, drawing criticism from all prestigious international institutions and from countries worldwide," Pirinski said.

Commitments expressed by Bulgarian government

The National Assembly Chairman pointed out that on this day Parliament should express its full commitment to the cause of the release of the nurses and its full support of the efforts of the Government and its competent bodies in finding the best way for maintaining an adequate dialogue with the Libyan side and for involving the EU and other international factors in providing humanitarian aid to the children affected by the AIDS outbreak. "We should express our support for the civil protests and the civil stand of the Bulgarian public and declare our commitment to the efforts for freeing the Bulgarian nurses and all possible steps towards a fair and constructive solution of this tragic problem, Pirinski said.

In connection with the eighth anniversary of the arrest of the Bulgarian nurses in Libya the Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev thanked all Bulgarian people, media and institutions, Bulgaria’s partners of the EU and the US for "taking an absolutely unequivocal stand and working for the realization of our common national cause." The political support which Bulgaria received and which was expressed by the European Commission and by the European Parliament is very important in this case - this is a problem not only between Bulgaria and Libya, but a problem affecting the entire EU because the nurses and European citizens," Stanishev said.

In conclusion, he stressed that the Bulgarian Government accepts the evidence by experts as categorically proving the innocence of the Bulgarian nurses and at the same time also understands the tragedy of the infected Libyan children.

President Georgi Purvanov backed a call by prominent Bulgarian scientists, cultural figures and athletes that a fund be set up to support the Bulgarian medical workers and their families, Purvanov’s Press Secretariat said. He will be among the first donors once the fund is set up. He will also donate his own money to the international fund for assistance to the families of the infected children.

On the eighth anniversary of the arrest of the Bulgarian medical workers in Libya, 21 intellectuals and public figures published an appeal for help to the five nurses and their families.

Massive protests in Sofia

Thousands of people gathered in Sofia’s Alexander Nevsky Square in support of the Bulgarian medics. Earlier in the day, a procession across central Sofia showed the Bulgarians’ solidarity with the nurses and the Palestinian doctor. The nurses’ families joined the event. The history of the trial was traced on giant screens. People carried national flags and shouted "Freedom".

Talking on the phone from Tripoli, Dr Zdravko Georgiev told the people in the square: "Right now we have proved we are a nation, we believe that this show of support will end the nightmare. The scars on the body are still there, and our souls have been scarred forever."

Children from six religions and the crowd in the square prayed for the nurses’ health, strength and freedom and for the Libyan children’s healing. The rally ended with the first live performance of a song dedicated to the nurses and the national anthem.

Many towns and villages staged rallies and processions mottoed "You are not alone".

Some 50 students gathered in front of the Libyan Embassy in Sofia to protest at the eight-year detention of the Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor in Libya. The rally was organized by the Students’ Council at the Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia and the National Association of Taxi Drivers. Following the murder of a taxi driver in Sofia early on Friday, his colleagues joined the rally only in the evening. Also, most students found it difficult to go to the Libyan Embassy because the drivers had blocked the city centre.

Relations betweene Libya and EU

Relations between Libya and the European Union are on the agenda of the regular meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council at foreign ministers level in Brussels next week and will be discussed in connection with the Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor on Libya’s death row This is an important issue not only for Bulgaria but for the EU as well. The death sentences issued against the Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor can no longer be tolerated, a source of the Council said, quoted by the BTA correspondent in Brussels.

BTA