Egyptian
government accused of HIV witch-hunt
23 Mar 2008- Egypt- STIGMATISING HIV-positive men will not help
the Egyptian government contain the spread of the disease. Officials are
accused of using the HIV status of some gay men to bolster the case for
jailing them under anti-gay laws, and violating human rights by forcing
detainees to undergo HIV tests and intimate bodily examinations.
Last week, five men were put on trial, charged with the "habitual
practice of debauchery" - a euphemism for homosexual sex. As the trial
began, the lead government prosecutor told a lawyer for the defendants
that the men, four of whom are HIV-positive, should not be allowed to
"roam the streets freely" because the government considers them "a
danger to public health". By linking HIV status to "debauched
activities", the government risks undermining attempts to contain HIV,
by discouraging people from getting tested and seeking treatment, says
Joseph Amon of Human Rights Watch.
Egypt has arrested 12
men under its debauchery laws since October 2007, and four are now
serving year-long jail terms. The country's Ministry of Health and
Population declined to comment.
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