[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 135 (Saturday, November 20, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THE TRAGEDY OF LIBYAN CHILDREN INFECTED BY HIV/AIDS

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 19, 2004

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, nearly six years ago 427 Libyan children 
were reported infected with the human immunodeficiency virus HIV in the 
al-Fatih Hospital in Benghazi, and more than 10 percent of these 
children have subsequently died. This is a tragedy of immense 
proportions.
  Of course, this situation is best known in the context of the 
outrageous case that was brought against five Bulgarian nurses and a 
Palestinian doctor, who were falsely accused of infecting these 
children. These six individuals have now been convicted and sentenced 
to death, and on many occasions I and others of our colleagues have 
spoken out against this verdict and urged Libyan leaders to overturn 
this miscarriage of justice.
  On this occasion, however, Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my 
deepest condolences to the Libyan families whose children have died 
from AIDS as a result of being inadvertently infected by HIV. I would 
also like to offer my deep and heart-felt sympathy to the families of 
those children who continue to suffer from HIV/AIDS. The most expert, 
objective investigation suggests that the cause of this human tragedy 
was sloppy hospital procedure, but my purpose here is not to assign 
blame but to shed tears.
  Mr. Speaker, we must be able to separate our deep unhappiness about 
the verdict against the five nurses and one doctor from our deep 
sadness over the horrendous tragedy that befell these Libyan children. 
The lives of these children and their families have been changed 
irrevocably by this tragedy. Not the least aspect of this horror is the 
resulting social ostracism incurred in a highly traditional society. 
For example, many of these children have been forced to drop out of 
school because of local ignorance about the HIV virus.
  In this regard, I want to commend the U.S. Liaison Office, USLO, in 
Tripoli and Chief of Mission Greg Berry for giving thoughtful attention 
to this issue. For example, USLO has brought leading AIDS authorities 
to Benghazi from the United States to advise the Libyans on AIDS 
treatment and related issues.
  We must remain committed to helping win the freedom of the five 
nurses and one doctor who have been unfairly charged and punished for a 
crime they did not commit. But at the same time we must keep in mind 
and in our hearts the children and their families who have unfairly 
suffered this tragic fate which they did not deserve. I support the 
efforts of the USLO in Tripoli to ameliorate their pain and heal them, 
and I intend to work with the Administration to explore means to 
redouble those efforts in the weeks and months ahead.

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