Notes from Hell

by Nikolay Yordanov, Valya Cherveniashka

"This horror story made international headlines. It shows brutality in its most extreme form, a wilful act of cruel injustice for which the Libyan government stands accused. Reading this book will make you cry." - Dries Brunt, "Citizen
 Newspaper", South Africa

In 1999 seventeen medical nurses are kidnapped from the hospital in which they work in Benghazi, Libya and are confined in a police station in the capital Tripoli. The next eight and a half years five of them will spend in different prisons accused of deliberately infecting more than 400 children with HIV.

"Notes from Hell" is a confession of an ordinary woman whose face becomes familiar to the whole world. The book tells about her work in Benghazi, about the reasons for the infection of the children, about the monstrous tortures she suffered, the terror, uncertainty and friendship in the Libyan prisons, about what it feels like to have three death sentences and survive.



"One of the most emotional and revealing confessions..." - "Telegraph Newspaper", Bulgaria

"Great book! I couldn't put down until finished it! Very deep, emotional, heartfelt story of a strong women thrown in jail for something she has never done, but yet she has been prosecuted, tortured, went true traumatic years of undeserved punishment far from her home country. A must read!" - Amazon.com Reader Review

"This intimate account is relayed with raw honesty and emotion. A cold, sobering look at some of life's injustices." - Michelle Bristow-Bovey, "Cape Times", South Africa

"It is impossible to walk away from Notes From Hell without a combination of feelings; the first of elation that she and her fellow accused survived, the second that the horror occurred in the first place. Nikolay Yordanov and Valya Chervenyashka put you there; something that stirs up a great deal of dread. Even the small victories that she and the others experienced do not allow you to relax because you are already anticipating the next deception. A horrific story well told, Notes From Hell will stir every emotion you have within you. You won’t walk away and forget this book for a very long time, if ever." - Bil Howard, "Readers' Favorite"

"I'm half way through the book. It's a very good book... Mesmerizing, horrific, sad, an absolute tragedy." - Amazon.com Reader Review

Genres: Nonfiction, Libya

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2009

About the author

Nikolay Yordanov was born in Varna, Bulgaria. He is television, documentary and film screenwriter and creative producer, and lecturer in National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Bulgaria. His first book, the non-fiction biography "Notes from Hell", collected rave reviews. In 2020 Yordanov published his first fiction novel, "Don't Tell Mama".

Reviews

[Henk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A haunting book on a gross, 8.5 years miscarriage of justice. Simply written, and a bit unclear on what actually happened to trigger the HIV epidemic in Benghazi, but definitely heartfelt
We were only targeted because our countries wouldn’t take the effort to care for their citizens working abroad

Interesting that Bulgarian nurses were so poor that going to Libya was a good work opportunity. The whole blaming of the Filipino nurses is a bit harsh, but man this is a story that chills the reader. Libyan secret police using dogs, scorpions, whippings, electrocution, iron rods… it’s an incredible tale of brutality, featuring two months of continuous torture.

Bit simple written and the main character who tells the story never seems to do anything wrong but 5 years in prison before a first death sentencing and then another 3.5 years of imprisonment is completely incredible.

Joining the EU, and the involvement of Sarkozy in a diplomatic solution, is the only highlight of the book. A story that makes one want to write down the number of the embassy when ever you go abroad.

[Katelyn (Lost as Alice, Mad as the Hatter) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We heard our names then a word we were already familiar with,'Byulada.' Death."

This true tale of horror that begins with the two months of constant torture followed by the subsequent eight years of imprisonment is told in a series of nightmarish snapshots by one of the people who would know the story best: Vayla Chervenyashka, one of the six Bulgarians falsely found guilty in Libya for injecting children with HIV.

"This is Libya, not Bulgaria; there is no ambassador for you."

At the height of an HIV epidemic in a Libyan children's hospital in the late 90s, Muammar al-Gaddafi 's bloodstained regime would toss 7 hospital workers to his poorly educated subjects as a government conspiracy to avoid public responsibility. The claims would range from injectioning children with HIV to CIA involvement to sex scandals between those accused with each accusation being more surreal than the last.

"It seems only as though the police only detained people from countries that didn't care for its citizens abroad."

And worst yet, political upheaval and a negligent government at home during the beginning of this farce those accused were left to face their tormentors alone as torture and humiliation progressed from the sadistic to the life threatening.

"Eventually one loses a sense of time, place, of everything. And most of all the will to live."

Valya takes us through the initial kidnapping of dozens of nurses and doctors, through the torture of those whose government did not lay claim to them, to beginnings of international involvement, into the courtrooms of the various circus trials, how the world support gave the falsely imprisoned a reason to hope, and finally how the EU's involvedment got them home.

"If it wasn't for Nasya, this meeting never would have happened. After she 'confessed,' she slit her wrists. "

Through her eyes we only begin to understanding how harrowing the months of torture

"The most agonizing pain boazed through my body and in an instant I believes I was in hell. I was in hell and hell was in me."

and years of imprisonment and false promises

"Despite having been forcibly removed from our loves ones and inhumanely tortured, what destroyed us was the lack of support from fellow Bulgarians."

slowly eroded these 5 women and 1 man's will to live.

Told like a sort of biographical diary, I was able to get a real feel for the personalities of each of the captives and how the fates of these strangers would intertwine to create one of the most public confirmations of unhumane abuse and injustice the world saw in the early 21st century.

"They were made to rehearse their confessions, sometimes at gunpoint. For every wrong answer or discrepancy, further torture ensued. "

In an account that is both poignant and standoffish, understanding and unforgiving I was moved at the plight of the six and the other Bulgarian prisoners.

"How easy it is to write about ut now, but how hard it was to endure."

I found myself glued to the pages as Vayla struggled with making peace with the past and being drug back down into it. Her voice clearly comes through from the disbelief at the first round of torture, to the inner struggles against those who confessed, to her joy at finally finding the support so long denied to them.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in first hand rehashes, world politics, or the ever growing disparity between public, political, and private justice.

[Stiliyana Angelieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Разтърсваща история през погледа на една изстрадала жена!

[Georgi Tokov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Изключително силна изповед , на изключително силна жена. Бруталните разкази , за изтезанията в затворите в Либия. Абсолютна незаинтересованост на така наречените наши депутати и “държава”. Тежки либийски психопати , срещу една силна българка. Въпреки мъченията, въпреки всичко преживяно, Валя оцелява - за да разкаже историята си днес. Огромни благодарности към Саркози и съпругата му, ако разчитаха на нашите държавни “мъже”, повече никога нямаше да видят българското слънце …

[Nicko D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it years ago, when the book was just published. Its really interesting and comparing to the rest two books about the topic, my opinion is that this is the best storyteller

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Notes From Hell is a biography about Valya Cherveniashka's experience being kidnapped along with 17 other nurses and held in prison by the Libyan government, accused of deliberately injecting children with HIV. During the eight and half years that Valya was held, she was tortured and falsely accused of crimes she did not commit. Her story is extremely harrowing. Instead of looking to find the right answers to prevent the spread of the virus, it is sad that the government was so haste to put the blame on foreign nurses that could not defend themselves.

[Ивелина Петкова · Rating 5 out of 5]

Жестокостта на две нации вплетена в историята на невинни хора и белязала ги завинаги!
Настръхвах, плаках, съпреживявах, ядосвах се и се разочаровах от постъпки, от хора!
Препоръчвам книгата, оказва се че чрез нея можем да направим и психоанализа на болните общества - либийското и българското.