Life in the frying pan, rather than death in the fire

Life imprisonment for a crime you didn’t commit is a bad thing, but it’s a lesser evil than execution for that same uncommitted crime. The nurses and doctor in Libya, originally sentenced to death for allegedly transmitting HIV to children, have had their sentence commuted to life in prison:

Death sentences on six foreign medics convicted of infecting Libyan children with HIV have been commuted to life in prison by Libya’s top legal body.

The High Judicial Council ruling came after the families of the 438 children agreed a compensation deal reportedly worth $1m (£500,000) per child.

Talks are expected to open on Wednesday on the transfer of the six to Bulgaria.

The five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who were convicted in 2004, maintain their innocence.

My guess (hope) is that, if they make it alive to Bulgaria, they’ll serve a minimal time in prison (they’ve already been held 8 years in Libya), and then just vanish into the countryside.