According to two international human rights groups, Egyptian police have allegedly arrested four more men suspected to be HIV positive and gay, reports the Associated Press (AP)/ FoxNews.com (foxnews.com, 2/26).
Earlier this year, police arrested four men for “habitual practice of debauchery"—a term used in the Egyptian legal system to describe homosexual acts, reports the AP. The men were sentenced to a year in prison.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) and London-based Amnesty International issued a joint statement saying that the arrests are unjust. The groups also said the arrests could hinder prevention efforts by causing people to become afraid to seek HIV/AIDS information, prevention and treatment.
“In their misguided attempt to apply Egypt’s unjust law on homosexual conduct, authorities are carrying on a crackdown against people living with HIV/AIDS,” said Rebecca Schleifer of the HRW. “This not only violates the most basic rights of people living with HIV. It also threatens public health, by making it dangerous for anyone to seek information about HIV prevention or treatment.”
According to the HRW and Amnesty International, the new arrests came from information coerced from four men already in custody, reports the AP. The groups also say that the arrested men were forcibly tested for HIV, and those who tested positive are being chained to their hospital beds.
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samuel_999, , 2008-02-26 23:02:25
forcibly testing for hiv? this is another piece of the puzzle. let's all put our thinking caps on and ask some really good questions because here in america one has the right to refuse hiv testing on religious grounds. what is the dogma factor with the hiv test?
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
Woman of the Month is supported by exclusive advertising from Gilead.
Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
