The Global Criminalisation Scan: a GNP+ microsite
Providing details of laws and numbers of prosecutions for almost every country, an invaluble resource for anyone interested in criminal HIV exposure and transmission laws.
AIDSLEX
A web portal that faciliates sharing knowledge on HIV/AIDS, the law and human rights.
Ten Reasons to Oppose the Criminalization of HIV Exposure or Transmission (Dec 2008)
This document, co-produced by the Open Society Institute, and available in eight languages, provides ten reasons why criminalising HIV exposure or transmission is generally an unjust and ineffective public policy. It has been endorsed by leading HIV/AIDS, human rights, and women’s organisations and networks throughout the world.
Verdict on a Virus
Produced by GNP+, ICW and IPPF, this excellent and easy to understand booklet, available in English and French, spotlights the human rights implications of criminalisation and advocates for alternatives.
James Chalmers Legal Responses to HIV and AIDS (2008)
Thomas Shevory Notorious H.I.V.: The Media Spectacle of Nushawn Williams (2004)
Lance Gable et al. Legal aspects of HIV/AIDS: a guide for policy and law reform (2007)
UK and international resources
- Lawyers’ Referral Database from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
- Jason Gratl (Vancouver-based defence lawyer)
- Khurram Arif (Most experienced London-based defence lawyer for criminal HIV transmission charges)
- UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights - Statement on Criminalization of HIV Transmission and Exposure (March 2009)
- UNAIDS/UNDP Policy brief - Criminalisation of HIV Transmission (July 2008)
- THT: Prosecutions microsite
- National AIDS Trust
- GMFA: HIV transmission and the law (user-friendly info for the layperson)
- The UK Law and HIV/AIDS Project
- Sigma Research Report: 'Grievous Harm?' (pdf)
- GHT: Supporting people dealing with HIV criminalisation (Powerpoint)
- Criminalisation of HIV transmission (presentations from excellent workshop held in November 2006)
- Court of Appeal judgement, R v Dica
- Court of Appeal judgement, R v Konzani
- Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
- Lambda Legal (New York)
- The (US) Center for HIV Law & Policy
- HIV/AIDS Legal Centre (Sydney, Australia)
- AIDS Law Project (South Africa)
- Lawyers Collective (India)
- LACASSO (Latin America and Caribbean)
English translation of 2009 Geneva judgment
Click on the image to download the official English translation of the original French ruling from the Geneva Court of Justice in February 2009, quashing the 18 month prison sentence of a young HIV-positive man previously convicted of HIV exposure, after accepting testimony from Bernard Hirschel (one of the 'Swiss statement' authors) that the risk of sexual HIV transmission on successful treatment is close to zero. Credit and thanks to the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network who prepared this from the original French document, provided courtesy of Deborah Gliejser of Groupe Sida Geneve.
'Swiss statement' now available in English
An officially-translated English version of the 2008 'Swiss statement' on the effect of treatment on transmission is now available thanks to the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. Download the pdf here.You might also be interested in the April 2009 position paper on individualising treatment-related prevention information to HIV-positive people by Deutsche AIDS Hilfe, Germany's largest HIV/AIDS NGO. An English-language report summarising the paper can be found on aidsmap.com, and the original German-language paper, HIV-Therapie und Prävention, Positionspapier der Deutschen AIDS-Hilfe can be downloaded here.
