Horrible news out of Libya - the Tripoli/Benghazi Six were today sentenced to death despite scientific evidence of their innocence. Orac, Bora, PZ, Abel, and Revere all join in denouncing this miscarriage of justice. You can read more at on their blogs.
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I have no idea if this will be of interest to this community of science oriented and smart readers, but a group called The Republicans is having a big convention this week.
Here's the basic schedule:
As you know, the National Climate Change Assessment report is out. I'm actually rather overwhelmed with it all.
Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor (dubbed the Tripoli six) may be executed soon by the Libyan government for the crime of deliberately infecting over 400 children with HIV. If they did infect the children, this would be a horrendous crime.
At 3:50 am EDST I received the welcome news, via Declan Butler, that the Tripoli 6 were free and on the tarmac in Sofia, Bulgaria. All are Bulgarian citizens and were released by the Libyan prison authorities as part of an extradition arrangement.
Back in October, I wrote letters to Senator John McCain, Senator John Kyl, Representative J.D. Hayworth, Senator Richard Lugar, Senator Joseph Biden, Representative Henry Hyde Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and, at the advice of a relative of mine who works in Washington D.C., to the members of the Senate HELP Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. Given that it was so close to the midterm election and that I live outside the constituency of most of these members of Congress, I wasn't expecting to get any replies. Lo and behold, there was letter in my mailbox tonight from Senator Kyl's office that said in part:
"Libya's Minister for European Affairs, Abdul Ati al-Obeidi, has stated that a working group comprised of Bulgaria, Libya, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission, will meet after the verdict and will work together to find a political solution if the outcome does not resolve the concerns of the international community."
The BBC just reported that the Tripoli Six are now also up on charges of slander for "making false claims of torture."
The International Herald Tribune is reporting some potentially good news.
The Tripoli Six were freed today.