Mexico: Sexual connotation removed from BCS article on “danger of contagion” but full repeal denied

To avoid discrimination, article of the BCS Penal Code on “danger of contagion” was reformed

Translated via Deepl.com – Scroll down for original article in Spanish

The sexual connotation was removed from the wording of Article 168 of the BCS Penal Code, which addresses the “Danger of Contagion”.

La Paz, Baja California Sur (BCS). This week, the Legislative Power approved a citizen’s initiative to reform article 168 of the Penal Code for Baja California Sur, referring to “danger of contagion”, in whose wording the sexual connotation was removed, following a citizen’s initiative.

The text defined the danger of contagion as “whoever, with the knowledge that he or she suffers from a serious and transmissible disease, puts the health of another in danger of contagion, through sexual relations or any other transmissible means”, as stated.

Therefore, a generic term was proposed and approved by the assembly, to read as follows: “Whoever, with the knowledge that he or she is suffering from a serious and transmissible disease, endangers the health of someone else by any transmissible means”.

In its opinion, the Standing Committee on Constitutional Points and Justice established that the previous wording does indeed refer, in particular, to sexual relations as a means of committing the crime, which could result in a form of discrimination against people suffering from HIV.

It is worth mentioning that, in the original initiative, it was proposed to repeal the article in its entirety, however, the deputies considered reforming the law.

“The text referring to ‘sexual relations’ was deleted, with the aim of not falling under the assumption of the unconstitutionality action number 139/2015, where the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation invalidated the contested normative part, that is, the added expression ‘sexually transmitted infections’,” explained the president of the Constitutional and Justice Commission, José María Avilés Castro.

Para evitar discriminación, reforman artículo del Código Penal de BCS sobre “peligro de contagio”

Se suprimió la connotación sexual en la redacción del Artículo 168 del Código Penal en BCS, misma que aborda el “Peligro de Contagio”

La Paz, Baja California Sur (BCS). Esta semana, en el Poder Legislativo se aprobó una iniciativa ciudadana que reforma el artículo 168 del Código Penal para Baja California Sur, referente al “peligro de contagio”, en cuya redacción se suprimió la connotación sexual; esto, tras una iniciativa ciudadana.

El texto definía al peligro de contagio como “a quien con conocimiento de que padece una enfermedad grave y transmitible, ponga en peligro de contagio la salud de otro, por relaciones sexual u otro medio transmitible”, según lo expuesto.

Por lo anterior, se propuso un término genérico y fue aprobado por la asamblea, para quedar de la siguiente forma: “A quien con conocimiento de que padezca una enfermedad grave y transmitible ponga en peligro de contagio la salud de alguien por cualquier medio transmitible”.

La Comisión Permanente de Puntos Constitucionales y de Justicia en su dictamen estableció que la redacción anterior efectivamente hace alusión, en forma particular, a las relaciones sexuales como medio de comisión del delito, lo que se podía traducir en una forma de discriminación a las personas que padecen VIH.

Conviene mencionar que, en la iniciativa original se proponía derogar el artículo en su totalidad, sin embargo, los diputados consideraron reformar la Ley.

“Se suprimió el texto referente a ‘relaciones sexuales’, con la finalidad de no caer en el supuesto de la acción de inconstitucionalidad número 139/2015, donde la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación invalidó la parte normativa impugnada, esto es, la expresión adicionada ‘infecciones de transmisión sexual’”, explicó el presidente de la comisión de Puntos Constitucionales y de Justicia, José María Avilés Castro.

Mexico: Proposal for reform of HIV and STI criminalisation law put forward to Puebla Justice Commission for consideration

Proposed repeal of penalties for people with sexually transmitted diseases

Translated via Deepl.com – Scroll down for original article in Spanish

Because they are discriminatory, they are proposing to the State Congress to repeal the sanctions applicable to those who are carriers of a sexually transmitted disease that could put other people at risk of infection.

Jocelyn Olivares López, a member of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), said that articles 213 and 214 of the Puebla Penal Code violate the human rights of people diagnosed with one of these diseases.
She pointed out that the discrimination experienced by people with AIDS or any sexually transmitted infection is unfortunate, as prevention and care of the diseases are put on the back burner and their criminalisation is encouraged.

“The purpose is to eliminate the sanctions established for those who, knowing that they suffer from a sexually transmitted infection or any other chronic or serious disease that can be transmitted sexually or by any other direct means, put the health of another person at risk of infection”.
The initiative proposed by the Morena legislator was turned over to the Commission for the Procuration and Administration of Justice of the LXI Legislature for its study and corresponding resolution.

Proponen derogar sanciones aplicables a portadores de enfermedades venéreas

Por ser discriminatorias, proponen al Congreso del Estado la derogación de las sanciones aplicables a quienes siendo portadores de una enfermedad de transmisión sexual pudieran poner en riesgo de contagio a otras personas.

La diputada por el Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (Morena), Jocelyn Olivares López, dijo que los artículos 213 y 214 del Código Penal de Puebla vulneran los derechos humanos de las personas diagnosticadas con alguno de estos padecimientos.
Señaló que es lamentable la discriminación que viven las personas con Sida o alguna infección de transmisión sexual, pues se deja en segundo plano a la prevención y atención de las enfermedades y se fomenta su criminalización.

“El propósito es eliminar las sanciones establecidas a quien sabiendo que padece un mal venéreo o cualquier otra enfermedad crónica o grave que sea transmisible por vía sexual o por cualquier otro medio directo, pusiere en peligro de contagio la salud de otra persona”.
La iniciativa planteada por la legisladora de Morena fue turnada a la Comisión de Procuración y Administración de Justicia de la LXI Legislatura para su estudio y resolución correspondiente.

Mexico: HIV Criminalisation reform one of the pending issues in Mexico City backlog of legislative reforms

Congress is behind on reform to decriminalise HIV

Translated via Deepl.com. Scroll down for the original article in Spanish.

Congress is behind on reform to decriminalise HIV

The local Congress has an initiative on the agenda to remove the stigmatisation of people with HIV from Article 159 of the Penal Code, said the Attorney General of Justice, Ernestina Godoy. This Article establishes that a person can go to prison for up to 10 years for living with a “serious illness” for the crime of “danger of contagion”. “The Mexico City Congress is now debating proposals to repeal the criminal offence of danger of contagion, because it stigmatises and criminalises people living with HIV,” said the Prosecutor. “This would be a very important step forward in the fight against discrimination. ,
The reform is one of the pending issues in the backlog of this legislature, and the head of government, Martí Batres, said that the law criminalises people with HIV, which is why he asked legislators to remove it. “Today (Friday), which is World AIDS Day, we reiterate the call we made to the Congress of Mexico City to repeal Article 159,” said Batres. He added that criminal behaviour should be included in the Penal Code. “And we must decriminalise those behaviours that are not part of criminal activities, that is why today (Friday) we reiterate this call to repeal Article 159 of the Penal Code,” he insisted. “It criminalises an intention and a risk, not criminal behaviour”. The Head of Government underlined that the provision will contribute to building a city of human rights.

Adeuda Congreso reforma para despenalizar VIH

El Congreso local tiene agendada una iniciativa para suprimir la estigmatización de las personas con VIH del Artículo 159 del Código Penal, señaló la Fiscal General de Justicia, Ernestina Godoy. Este Artículo establece que una persona podrá ir a prisión hasta 10 años por vivir con una “enfermedad grave” por el delito de “peligro de contagio”. “El Congreso de la Ciudad de México debate ahora propuestas para derogar el tipo penal de peligro de contagio, debido a que estigmatiza y criminaliza a las personas que viven con VIH”, planteó la Fiscal. “Esto sería un avance muy importante en la lucha contra la discriminación”.
La reforma es uno de los pendientes acumulados en los rezagos de esta legislatura.El Jefe de Gobierno, Martí Batres , expuso que tal ordenamiento criminaliza a las personas con VIH, por lo que se pidió a los legisladores quitarlo. “Hoy (viernes), que es el Día Mundial de Lucha contra el SIDA, reiteramos el llamado que hicimos al Congreso de la Ciudad de México para derogar el Artículo 159”, urgió Batres. El Mandatario agregó que en el Código Penal deben estar las conductas criminales. “Y debemos descriminalizar aquellas conductas que no forman parte de actividades delictivas, por eso el día de hoy (viernes) reiteramos este llamado para derogar el Artículo 159 del Código Penal”, insistió. “Criminaliza una intención y un riesgo, y no una conducta criminal”. El Jefe de Gobierno subrayó que la disposición abonará en construir una Ciudad de derechos humanos.

US: Tennessee’s aggravated prostitution statute violates the Americans with Disabilities Act

Justice Department Finds that Enforcement of Tennessee State Law Discriminates Against People with HIV

he Justice Department announced today its finding that the State of Tennessee, including its Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office (SCDAO), violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by enforcing the state’s aggravated prostitution statute against people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Today’s announcement comes on World AIDS Day, an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic.

The department’s comprehensive investigation found that the state and the SCDAO subject people living with HIV to harsher criminal penalties solely because of their HIV status, violating Title II of the ADA.

“Tennessee’s aggravated prostitution law is outdated, has no basis in science, discourages testing and further marginalizes people living with HIV,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “People living with HIV should not be treated as violent sex offenders for the rest of their lives solely because of their HIV status. The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities are protected from discrimination.”

Tennessee’s aggravated prostitution statute elevates what would otherwise be misdemeanor conduct to a felony because the individual has HIV, regardless of any actual risk of harm. A person convicted of aggravated prostitution faces three to 15 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000, while a person convicted of a misdemeanor charge based on the same conduct is subject to a sentence of no more than six months and up to a $500 fine. While the aggravated prostitution statute applies statewide, it has been enforced most frequently in Shelby County.

Aggravated prostitution is also categorized as a “violent sexual offense” mandating registration by those convicted on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry, in most cases for life. The state maintains the registry through the TBI. Individuals placed on the registry due to convictions for aggravated prostitution are restricted in where they may live, work and go in public, and have experienced increased homelessness and unemployment. These individuals also face public disclosure of information about their HIV status, which can lead to harassment and discrimination. The department opened this investigation in response to complaints about enforcement of the statute.

The department’s letter provides Tennessee, TBI and the SCDAO, with written notice of its findings and details the minimum remedial measures necessary to address them.

The Justice Department plays a central role in advancing the ADA’s goals of equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (TTY 1-833-610-1264) or visit www.ada.gov.

Russia: Human rights commissioner calls for criminalisation of pregnant women with HIV refusing treatment

Ombudsman in Novosibirsk proposes to try pregnant women with HIV for refusing treatment

Translated via Deepl.com. Scroll down for original text in Russian.

Nina Shalabaeva, Ombudsman for Human Rights in the Novosibirsk Region, proposed to punish pregnant women with HIV for refusing treatment. She made the statement during a TASS press conference.

– A woman can refuse treatment. But I believe that this is wrong, because there is a risk that the child will fall ill too. Therefore, I would make a proposal on criminal liability for pregnant women evading therapy,” Nina Shalabaeva said.
According to Novosibirskstat, in 2022 in the region registered 2 thousand first-time HIV-infected people. Over the year, the rate of primary HIV infections increased by 6%.

Омбудсмен в Новосибирске предложила судить беременных с ВИЧ за отказ от терапии

Новосибирский омбудсмен предложила судить беременных с ВИЧ за отказ от лечения
Уполномоченная по правам человека в Новосибирской области Нина Шалабаева предложила наказывать беременных с ВИЧ за отказ от лечения. Заявление она сделала в ходе пресс-конференции ТАСС.

– Женщина может отказаться от лечения. Но я считаю, что это неправильно, потому что есть риск, что и ребенок заболеет. Поэтому я бы внесла предложение об уголовной ответственности за то, что беременные уклоняются от терапии, – сказала Нина Шалабаева.
Согласно данным Новосибирскстата, в 2022 году в регионе зарегистрировали 2 тысячи впервые выявленных ВИЧ-инфицированных. За год показатель первичной заболеваемости ВИЧ-инфекциями вырос на 6%.

US: Louisiana debates overhaul of controversial HIV criminalisation law

State task force weighs revising Louisiana law criminalizing HIV exposure

By Meghan Friedmann

Some state legislators are pushing to change Louisiana’s HIV criminalization law, which mandates up to 10 years in prison and 15 years on the sex offender registry for people convicted of intentionally exposing people to the virus.

Advocates for changing the 1987 law say it is overly broad and results in false accusations and convictions even when no HIV transmission occurs. They also say the law relies on a flawed understanding of how HIV is spread, and that it discourages HIV testing because it shields people who do not know their status from criminal liability.

Proponents for keeping the law say it protects people from getting HIV, and that there shouldn’t be leniency for those who put others at risk of infection.

The state’s Task Force to Study HIV Criminalization, which met last week, is taking up those issues. The panel, which includes legislators and health care professionals, could ultimately ask the Legislature to consider revising the law.

Legislator members include State Rep. Aimee Freeman, D-New Orleans, who co-authored the House resolution that convened the panel; Rep. Vanessa LaFleur, D-Baton Rouge, and Rep. Wayne McMahen, R-Minden.

“I do hope the members of the (Legislature) will see the reasons for this change,” Freeman said in an interview. “It’s just to update a law that’s using old science.”

McMahen, the task force’s lone Republican legislator, said in an interview that he was open to updating the law but hadn’t yet made any decisions on what changes should occur.

“You want a pathway forward, but you’ve got to have guardrails on that pathway too, to protect both sides of the population,” McMahen said, referring to people who are HIV positive and people who are not. “This was a fact-finding, information-gathering task force. … then we need to see what we can come up with.”

It remains to be seen whether the issue will be supported by other lawmakers or by Gov.-elect Jeff Landry, the state’s hard-right attorney general who has promised to be tough on crime.

A Landry spokesperson said she could not provide comment by deadline. Landry is widely expected to call a special session on crime in January.

At issue is a statute that holds that “no person shall intentionally expose another to HIV through any means or contact without the knowing and lawful consent of the victim, if at the time of the exposure the infected person knew he was HIV positive.”

Convictions result in a decadelong prison sentence or a $5,000 fine, or both, with slightly steeper penalties for those convicted of exposing a first responder to the virus. Louisiana also requires people convicted of crimes involving HIV to register as sex offenders.

A defendant can only avoid conviction if they prove the person exposed knew the defendant had HIV and knew the act could result in an infection, or if they prove both that they disclosed their status and either a medical professional told them they were noninfectious, or they “took practical means to prevent transmission.”

Between 2011 and 2022, at least 176 people were arrested under Louisiana’s HIV criminalization statute. About 91% of those arrested were Black men, a population that makes up 44% of state residents living with HIV.

During last week’s task force meeting, Rep. Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall, expressed skepticism over whether it was necessary to change the law. Bagley is not a member of the task force but sat in as McMahen’s proxy.

“With somebody that would pass HIV along knowingly, I wouldn’t have any sympathy at all for them, and as a legislator, I would never vote to change those laws where we’re going to allow those things,” he said. “Regardless of what is said it can lead to your death. … I’m going to take a pretty strong stance there.”

But other task force members who support changes stressed that an HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence and noted that modern-day treatment options can make it impossible for HIV-positive individuals to infect others.

George Nawas, a clinical assistant professor at Xavier University, said HIV is the only sexually transmitted infection that Louisiana criminalizes. HIV criminalization may work against public health by reducing test rates, he added. In 2020, Louisiana had the fourth-highest HIV case rate in the country.

“(The law) is putting responsibility on people living with HIV if at the time of the exposure the infected person knew he was HIV positive. One of the things that we know to end the HIV epidemic is to encourage people. … to get tested,” Nawas aid. “So by someone reading this statute here … people are discouraged to know their status.”

Mexico: Puebla deputy withdraws his HIV criminalisation proposal following criticisms from HIV and human rights organisations

Morena deputy criticised for initiative that criminalises people with HIV in Puebla

Translated via Deepl.com. Scroll down for original article in Spanish

Collectives and activists criticised Carlos Evangelista’s initiative that criminalises and seeks to impose up to 10 years in prison.

The local Morena deputy Carlos Evangelista Aniceto has been criticised by groups and activists for presenting an initiative that criminalises people with HIV or any other sexually transmitted infection.

The proposal seeks to reform the Penal Code of the State of Puebla to impose up to 10 years in prison on anyone who, knowing that they suffer from a venereal disease, chronic or serious, incurable and sexually transmissible disease, puts the health of another person at risk of contagion.

Carlos Evangelista boasted on his social networks the initiative that he presented this Thursday, November 9 before the Congress of Puebla, which was turned to the Commission of Procuration and Administration of Justice for its study and, if necessary, appropriate resolution.

“I presented an initiative with the aim that whoever suffers from a venereal disease or other chronic disease transmissible by sexual means or any other direct means that puts another person at risk of contagion and in the event that the disease suffered was incurable, impose up to 10 years in prison, as well as to those who without the consent of those who can legally give it, abstain, stop using or fraudulently damage a contraceptive method”, he proposed.

Carlos Evangelista’s initiative was rejected by the groups Vida Plena Puebla, Red La Morada and the Observatorio Ciudadano de Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos (Odesyr), considering that it criminalises people living with HIV or sexually transmitted infections, as well as promoting stigma, discrimination, prejudice, ignorance and violence towards this historically vulnerable social sector.

The organisations and activists demanded that the proposal be withdrawn from Congress and that the Morena deputy receive training from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) and the National Council for the Prevention and Control of HIV and AIDS (Censida).

Following the criticism he received, Carlos Evangelista asked the state Congress to withdraw the initiative he presented on Thursday, arguing that “legislating in favour of vulnerable groups and the most unprotected” has been his objective in the local legislature.

Critican a diputado de Morena por iniciativa que criminaliza a personas con VIH en Puebla

Colectivos y activistas reprocharon la iniciativa de Carlos Evangelista que criminaliza y busca imponer hasta 10 años de prisión

Colectivos y activistas criticaron al diputado local de Morena Carlos Evangelista Aniceto por presentar una iniciativa que criminaliza a las personas con VIH o con cualquier infección de transmisión sexual.

La propuesta busca reformar el Código Penal del Estado de Puebla para imponer hasta 10 años de prisión a quien sabiendo que padece un mal venéreo, enfermedad crónica o grave, incurable y que sea transmisible por vía sexual, ponga en peligro de contagio la salud de otra persona.

Carlos Evangelista presumió en sus redes sociales la iniciativa que presentó este jueves 9 de noviembre ante el Congreso de Puebla, misma que fue turnada a la Comisión de Procuración y Administración de Justicia para su estudio y, en su caso, resolución procedente.

“Presenté una iniciativa con la finalidad de que quien padezca algún mal venéreo u otra enfermedad crónica transmisible por vía sexual o cualquier otro medio directo que ponga en riesgo de contagio a otra persona y en caso de que la enfermedad padecida fuera incurable, imponer hasta 10 años de prisión, de igual manera al que sin el consentimiento de quien legalmente pueda otorgarlo, se abstenga, deje de utilizar o dañe dolosamente un método anticonceptivo”, propuso.

La iniciativa de Carlos Evangelista fue rechazada por los colectivos Vida Plena Puebla, Red La Morada y el Observatorio Ciudadano de Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos (Odesyr), al considerar que criminaliza a las personas que viven con VIH o infecciones de transmisión sexual, además de que fomenta el estigma, la discriminación, prejuicios, la ignorancia y la violencia hacia este sector social e históricamente vulnerado.

Las organizaciones y activistas exigieron que la propuesta sea retirada del Congreso y que el diputado de Morena reciba capacitación de la Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (CNDH) y el Consejo Nacional para la Prevención y el Control del VIH y el Sida (Censida).

Tras las críticas que recibió, Carlos Evangelista pidió al Congreso del estado retirar la iniciativa que presentó este mismo jueves, argumentando que “legislar a favor de los grupos vulnerables y los más desprotegidos” ha sido su objetivo en el Legislativo local.

South Korea: Constitutional court declares HIV criminalisation provisions constitutional despite split opinions

On 26 October 2023, the Constitutional Court, in a 4 (constitutional) : 5 (partially unconstitutional) opinion, ruled that Articles 19 and 25 (2) of the ‘Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease Prevention Act’ (as amended by Act No. 11749 of 5 April 2013), which prohibit a person infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from committing an act of transmission to another person through blood or bodily fluids, and punish a violation with imprisonment for up to three years, are both constitutional. [Constitutionality].

However, there is a partial unconstitutional opinion by Justices Yoo Nam-seok, Kim Ki-young, Moon Hyung-bae, Lee Im-sun, and Jung Jeong-mi that the part of the above provisions that prohibits and punishes the transmission of infection by an infected person who faithfully implements the treatment prescribed by a medical practitioner is unconstitutional.

○ This case is the first case in which the Constitutional Court has decided on the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus by an infected person, and heard arguments from the Korean Health Service, the defendant’s counsel, and the witnesses (medical experts and professors).

○ The constitutionality of the provision under review was declared unconstitutional by four judges, partially unconstitutional by five judges, and partially unconstitutional by a majority of judges, but not by the quorum of judges (six judges) to determine unconstitutionality.

The full Court decision is available on request.

 

New report from Williams Institute finds that HIV criminalisation in Arkansas disproportionately impacts Black men

Enforcement of HIV Criminalization in Arkansas

Overview

The Williams Institute analyzed data from the state of Arkansas about individuals who came into contact with the state’s criminal system through allegations of HIV-related crimes. We analyzed both law enforcement arrest data and data from the state’s Department of Corrections and sex offender registries to understand the beginning and end stages of the criminalization cycle. In total, we estimate that at least 108 people have had contact with Arkansas’ criminal system because of allegations of HIV crimes.

Findings

  • There have been at least 119 charges at arrest for allegations of HIV-related crimes since 1990, including four charges for failure to disclose one’s HIV status to a medical professional.
  • Arrests continue to the present day, with the latest arrest in 2022—the latest year for which data were available.
  • Enforcement is highly concentrated by geography:
    • 18% of all arrests originated with Little Rock Police Department, followed by Fort Collins Police Department (10%).
    • Likewise, Pulaski County originated one-third of all HIV-related arrests, followed by Sebastian County with 12% of arrests, and Miller County with 5% of arrests. In contrast, most counties had one or no arrests.
  • The racial composition of people arrested for allegations of HIV-related crimes skews Black: Black people were 48% of all HIV-related arrests, but only 15% of the state’s population, and 43% of people living with HIV in the state:
      • Black men in particular were overrepresented—7% of the state’s population, 31% of people living with HIV, and 44% of HIV-related arrests.
  • Four in five arrests (80%) that proceeded to the prosecution phase resulted in a guilty outcome. Only one case resulted in a not guilty outcome, and the remaining cases had charges dropped or prosecutors declined to pursue the case.
  • The youngest person with an HIV-related conviction was 18 years old.
  • Fourteen people were currently on the sex offender registry for an HIV-related conviction in 2023.
    • Half of these people were Black men, although Black men made up only 22% of the overall sex offender registry.
  • Twenty-one people across two snapshots of people in Arkansas Department of Corrections (DOC) custody (in 2007 and 2023) had HIV-related convictions mandating a sentence:
    • The average sentence per count for the HIV-related conviction was 24 years.
    • Four people only had HIV-related convictions; they had no other current or prior convictions.
    • Black men were 57% of all people with an HIV-related DOC sentence, compared to 38% of all people in DOC custody.

Download the full report

Costa Rica: Organisation of People Living with HIV responds to proposed law to reinstate HIV Criminalisation

Policies that criminalise HIV are policies of death

Translated via Deepl.com. For article in Spanish, please scroll down

The Positivxs Organisation, an association of people living with HIV and STIs, told Yafit Ohana that “policies that criminalise HIV are policies of death”.

The organisation’s statements follow “the appearance of Ms Yafit Ohana before the Human Rights Commission of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. In that dialogue, she confirmed that she had met several times with the President of the Republic, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, to propose the creation of a law criminalising intentional HIV transmission with penalties equal to those for murder. Ms. Ohana also said that her criminalization proposal is relevant because it aims to protect Costa Rican women and children.

In this regard, the members of Asociación Positivxs, an association of people living with HIV and STIs, want to communicate:

Policies that criminalize people living with HIV have been part of Costa Rica’s history. It is no secret that LGBTIQA+ people were persecuted under the excuse of preventing the transmission of the virus by the government of Oscar Arias Sanchez and the Ministry of Health led by former Minister Edgar Mohs through mandatory HIV testing for public sector work and raids on LGBTIQA+ bars between 1986 and 1987. It is always important to remember the open letter to the Ministry of Health by activists and social organisations of sexually diverse people in the daily newspaper Nación in 1987.

But years have passed, science has advanced and a virus like HIV is no longer a death sentence. Over the last ten years, science has talked tirelessly about it: Undetectable is untransmissible, i.e. a person who has access to antiretroviral treatment and takes it regularly has no chance of transmitting the virus through sex, breastfeeding or childbirth. Because of this, sister organisations working on HIV in the country and independent activists worked to update the General Law on HIV. This change happened in the last government and removed the criminalisation for transmitting the virus in order to respond to Human Rights guidelines.

Why should Costa Rica go back to targeting its most vulnerable populations? We know that policies that criminalise HIV exist in countries such as Canada and some states in the United States. But according to UNAIDS reports in 2021, what these laws have done is to accentuate the wounds of inequality in the most vulnerable populations and keep people living with HIV away from health centres when we need them most.

People living with HIV are men, women, children, we are migrants, we are non-binary people, we are substance users, we can be anyone, anywhere. We are people who simply because we are alive deserve a peaceful life where we are not criminalised for living with a virus.

Regarding Ms Ohana’s unfortunate statements, it is also important to mention that there are women with HIV and there are children with HIV and that policies that criminalise the transmission of the virus under the argument of sexual violence, also criminalise us.

We believe that instead of talking about us as sexual predators and thinking that we are going to transmit the virus voluntarily, the work of the State and public opinion should be to discuss and work to create policies that ensure access to health in a supportive, timely and humane way.

There is still a lot of work to be done in the country when it comes to HIV, for example there are these problems:

People are still dying from AIDS-related causes.
There are still trans sisters who experience violence within the Costa Rican health system.
There are still many obstacles to getting a woman cleared for HIV testing.
There are still ongoing logistical problems that affect access to treatment.
Rules and regulations have not yet been passed to enforce the provisions of the Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Law Reform 9797.

“For this reason we want to urge CONASIDA, the representatives of society before CONASIDA, the Ministry of Health and all those who wish to join us in putting pressure on the various state authorities to propose policies, laws, rules and regulations that put an end to the problems that exist in the country when it comes to HIV,” they said.

“To achieve this, it is necessary to leave behind policies based on hate and generate policies that heal the wounds of inequality that this country has inflicted on people with HIV throughout history,” they concluded.

Las políticas que criminalizan el VIH son políticas de muerte, señala organización de personas con VIH a Yafit Ohana

La Organización Positivxs, una asociación de personas con VIH e ITS, la señaló a Yafit Ohana que “las políticas que criminalizan el VIH son políticas de muerte”.

Las declaraciones de la organización se dan luego de “la comparecencia de la señora Yafit Ohana ante la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la Asamblea Legislativa de Costa Rica. En dicho diálogo la señora confirmó que se reunió varias veces con el Presidente de la República, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, para proponer la creación de una ley que penalice la transmisión intencional del VIH con penas iguales a las de un asesinato. Ohana también afirmó que su propuesta de criminalización es pertinente pues pretende proteger a las mujeres y a la niñez costarricense”.

Al respecto, las personas que integramos la Asociación Positivxs, una asociación de personas con VIH e ITS, queremos comunicar:

Las políticas que criminalizan a las personas que vivimos con VIH han sido parte de la historia de Costa Rica. No es un secreto que las personas LGBTIQA+ fuimos perseguidas bajo la excusa de prevenir la transmisión del virus por el gobierno de Oscar Arias Sánchez y el Ministerio de Salud dirigido por el ex-ministro Edgar Mohs a través de la obligatoriedad de las pruebas de VIH para trabajar en el sector público y las redadas a bares de personas LGBTIQA+ entre 1986 y 1987. Siempre es importante recordar la carta abierta al Ministerio de Salud que hicieron activistas y organizaciones sociales de personas sexualmente diversas en el diario Nación en 1987.

Pero los años han pasado, la ciencia ha avanzado y un virus como el VIH ya no representa una sentencia de muerte. Durante los últimos diez años la ciencia a hablado incansablemente sobre: Indetectable es intransmisible, es decir, una persona que tenga acceso a tratamiento antirretroviral y lo consuma de forma regular no tiene ninguna posibilidad de transmitir el virus por vía sexual, lactancia o parto. Debido a ello, organizaciones hermanas que trabajan VIH en el país y activistas independientes trabajaron por actualizar la Ley General de VIH. Cambio que sucedió en el gobierno pasado y eliminó la penalización por transmitir el virus con el fin de responder a los lineamientos de Derechos Humanos.

¿Por qué Costa Rica debería volver a atacar a sus poblaciones más vulnerables? Sabemos que las políticas que criminalizan el VIH existen en países como Canadá o algunos estados de los Estados Unidos. Pero según informes de ONUSIDA en 2021, estas leyes lo que han hecho es acentuar las heridas de desigualdad en las poblaciones más vulnerables y alejar a las personas que vivimos con VIH de los centros de salud cuando más lo necesitamos.

Las personas con VIH somos hombres, mujeres, infancias, somos personas migrantes, personas no binarias, somos personas usuarias de sustancias, podemos ser cualquier persona en cualquier lugar. Somos personas que simplemente por el hecho de estar con vida merecemos una vida tranquila en la que no se nos criminalice por vivir con un virus.

Sobre las lamentables declaraciones de la señora Ohana, también es importante mencionar que existimos mujeres con VIH y que existen infancias con VIH y que políticas que criminalizan transmitir el virus bajo el argumento de la violencia sexual, también nos criminaliza a nosotras.

Creemos que en lugar de hablar de nosotres como depredadores sexuales y pensar que vamos a transmitir el virus de forma voluntaria, la labor del Estado y la opinión pública debe ser discutir y trabajar por crear políticas que aseguren el acceso a la salud de forma solidaria, oportuna y humana.

Aún queda mucho trabajo que hacer en el país cuando se habla de VIH, por ejemplo están estos problemas:

Aún mueren personas por causas relacionadas al sida.
Aún hay hermanas trans que viven violencia dentro del sistema de salud costarricense.
Aún hay muchos obstáculos para que le den el visto bueno a una mujer para que se haga pruebas de VIH.
Aún hay constantes problemas logísticos que afectan el acceso al tratamiento.
Aún no se han aprobado normas y reglamentos que hagan cumplir lo escrito en la Reforma de la Ley Integral de VIH-sida 9797

“Por ello queremos exhortar a CONASIDA, a las representaciones de sociedad ante CONASIDA, al Ministerio de Salud y a todas las personas que se deseen sumar a presionar a las distintas autoridades estatales para que propongan políticas, leyes, normas y reglamentos que acaben con los problemas citados existen en el país cuando se habla de VIH”, expresaron.

“Para lograrlo es necesario dejar atrás políticas basadas en el odio y generar políticas que sanen las heridas de desigualdad que este país ha causado en las personas con VIH a lo largo de la historia”, concluyeron.