Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor are currently facing execution in Libya, charged with deliberately infrecting some 400 children with AIDS. An independent scientific study of the matter found that most of the children were infected well before the “Tripoli Six” even entered the country, but the study was dismissed by the court.
The case has largely been ignored by the media (I only learned of it last night), but the consesnsus is that international pressure is the only way to clear the six. In particular, Declan Butler is calling for scientists and bloggers to spread word of the case, and help drum up international pressure on the Libyan courts to actually pay attention to science in this case. There’s a http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7109/full/443245b.html”>strongly worded editorial in Nature and he’s got a big collection of other links on the topic.
As I said, I only heard of this last night, via a forwarded email from Declan. From what I can see, though, this appears to be a clear travesty of justice, and these six people should be freed immediately. So, spread the word, for whatever help it can provide.