News
The latest news written for the HIV Justice Network by Edwin J Bernard
US: REPEAL ACT to modernise HIV criminalisation laws reintroduced with bipartisan support
Yesterday, California Congresswoman Barbara Lee (Democrat) was joined by Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Republican) to introduce a new version of the ‘Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow Legal HIV Discrimination Act’ (the ‘REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act’, or the ‘REPEAL … More
Switzerland: Swiss Federal Supreme Court rules that criminal HIV exposure or transmission is no longer necessarily a serious assault
The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has ruled that HIV infection may no longer be automatically considered a serious assault, due to improved outcomes in life-expectancy on antiretroviral therapy. A news article on the ruling, featuring Groupe sida Genève‘s spokesperson, Deborah … More
Botswana’s draconian Public Health Bill approved by Parliament, BONELA will challenge it as unconstitutional once President signs into law (Update 3)
Update: April 5th 2013 Very disappointing news from Botswana. The Public Health Bill – including all of its draconian provisions on HIV – has been approved by Parliament. BONELA issued this press release last week just prior to the vote. … More
Law Enforcement and HIV Policy Groups Release Fact Sheet for Police on HIV Risks “Spit Does Not Transmit” Intended to Reduce Officer Anxiety and Needless “Exposure” Prosecutions (Press Release)
The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the American Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (AAPA) today released a new fact sheet that they hope will bring law enforcement officers up … More
Canada: Police training and guidelines in criminal HIV non-disclosure cases urgently required
The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO) have submitted a paper to the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Diversity Committee, informed by their extensive experience in working on the issue. The paper includes … More
Germany: National AIDS Council releases powerful policy statement on HIV criminalisation
The German National AIDS Council – an independent advisory body of the Ministry of Health consisting of experts from the fields of research, medical care, public health services, ethics, law, social sciences, as well as people from the civil society … More
US: New toolkit for lawyers defending HIV-related prosecutions now available
A new toolkit from the Center for HIV Law and Policy / Positive Justice Project, released earlier this month, provides a wealth of information for lawyers representing people living with HIV who are facing criminal prosecution based on HIV status. … More
UK: New research calls for better guidance for HIV service providers on criminal law, confidentiality and ethics
Yesterday saw the release of an important new UK study, Keeping Confidence: HIV and the criminal law from service provider perspectives, which explores how HIV criminalisation impacts those who deliver health and social care services for people with HIV. The … More
US: President’s AIDS council calls on feds to help states repeal HIV criminalisation laws
Advisory group says these statutes are ‘unjust’ and fuel the epidemic BY TODD HEYWOOD, AMERICAN INDEPENDENT The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) passed a resolution last week that calls for an end to federal and state HIV-specific criminal … More
Nigeria: Advocates successfully argue for removal of HIV criminalisation clause from draft HIV and AIDS Anti-Discrimination Act
Advocates in Nigeria have successfullly argued to remove a clause criminalising the ‘willful or deliberate spead of HIV’ from the latest draft of the long-awaited HIV and AIDS Anti-Discrimination Act. Last week, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS … More