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January 13, 2006

Activists demand release of gay men detained by Indian police

Indian police have arrested four gay men for "spreading homosexuality," and activists on Thursday demanded their release, Agence France-Presse reported.

"The arrests of four members of a gay club is an attack on their human rights. These people should be released immediately," Yashodhra Dasgupta of voluntary organization Sahyog in Lucknow told the news agency. "The law under which the arrests were made is a 19th century law enacted during British rule. This archaic law should be repealed."

Police charge that the men were "running a secret Internet club for homosexuals," AFP reported.

UNAIDS also called for the men's release. "Criminalization of people most at risk for HIV infection may increase stigma and discrimination, ultimately fueling the AIDS epidemic," the group said in a statement. "UNAIDS underlines that in India...fear of prosecution often prevents men who have sex with men from accessing information and services they need to protect themselves from HIV infection."

The news service reported that India has 5.1 million people with HIV/AIDS, second only to South Africa, which has the world's largest number of infected people. (Advocate.com)

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