French judges are investigating accusations of torture filed against Libyan leader Moamer Qadhafi by a Palestinian doctor held in a Libyan jail for eight years, a judicial official said Tuesday. Ashraf al-Hajuj was held on death row along with five Bulgarian nurses on charges of infecting 438 children with AIDS-tainted blood, until their release in July 2007.
The six claim to have been tortured into confessing. Last year Libya's supreme court converted their sentences to life imprisonment, which together with financial compensation and a promise of stepped-up ties with European countries, paved the way for their return home.