TRIPOLI, Libya, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who is visiting Libya, Wednesday expressed sympathy for AIDS-infected children whom he visited in Benghazi.
Part of Jackson's mission in Libya is to discuss the case of six people who have been sentenced to death in an AIDS-related case.
Libya claims the children were intentionally infected with the disease by
international medical workers, CNN reported.
Five Bulgarian medical personnel and a Palestinian doctor were convicted last May of spreading AIDS to 400 Libyans -- mostly children.
A Libyan court sentenced the six to death by firing squad. They have appealed, but no ruling has been issued.
Jackson told CNN he wanted to discuss the case with the Libyans and meet with the prisoners.
He arrived in Tripoli Tuesday also to discuss the North African nation's role in the crisis in Sudan.
Jackson said he looked forward to a meeting with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. He said he believed Libya and Gadhafi were in a good position to play a leadership role in resolving the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.
