On the initiative of the European Movement International, with the support of the ALDE Groupin the European Parliament (EP) and with the participation of all the main political groups in the EP, a press conference took place today to launch a humanitarian appeal for bringing home the five Bulgarian nurses and a the Palestinian doctor detained in Libya and alleviate the tragic situation of the HIV/AIDS-infected children in Benghazi hospital.

“”Our message is simple: bring them home!”#148; stated Pat Cox, the President of the European Movement International in his opening remarks at the press conference. ““We have today a duty of solidarity with our fellow European citizens that have been detained for more than 8 years.””

“”We need to cut the blizzard of resolutions and bring them home.””

“Our appeal is to public opinion in particular and not just to public authorities. It is a humanitarian appeal, concerned for the 426 Libyan children infected with HIV/AIDS in Benghazi, for the 53 who have died and for their families. It is a humanitarian appeal for the five Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor,” concluded Cox.

The press conference hosted four relatives of the Bulgarian nurses, whose message was equally clear. According to Marijan Georgiev, the son of the released doctor Zdravko Georgiev, the EU should step up its political pressure on Libya and reassure European citizens that EU institutions do care about them.

All the main political groups from the EP have sent representatives to the press conference who expressed their readiness to join the appeal and urged for action.

In parallel to the press conference, a coalition of Bulgarian media and international NGOs has launched the international campaign Ne ste sami / You are not alone.

You can read the full statement of Pat Cox here (PDF).