Police continue to arrest those suspected of having HIV in Greece

A controversial Greek law that was instated between April 2012 and April 2013, then removed for a few months, has been brought back into effect as of June 26.

Amid a sharp rise of HIV cases in 2011, the country made HIV testing mandatory and authorized law enforcement to detain individuals suspected of being HIV-positive, reports Salon.

Health Regulation No. 39A is causing an uproar among human rights groups and global health organizations who say it unfairly cracks down on sex workers, drug users or undocumented migrants. The law allows for forced isolation and compulsory treatment for HIV and other diseases of public health importance.

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It has resulted in sex workers being charged for intentionally causing bodily harm, but advocates argue that not all sex workers who have been charged are aware they have HIV.

After the regulation was removed in April due to international pressure, Greece’s new health minister, Adonis Georgiadis, reinstated it.

The former health minister who initiated the law in April 2012, Andreas Loverdos, warned of a rise in cases of customers having sex without a condom for an additional fee.

"This is an exploded bomb," he told the Associated Press at the time. "It is a problem that should have been limited but it now involves Greek society. It's a problem that we cannot erase but only try to contain."

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However, special interest groups counter that infectious diseases such as HIV require investing in health services and sensitive consideration.

“The decision by Minister Adonis Georgiadis to reimpose the regulation used for forced HIV testing is a big step backward for human rights and public health,” says Judith Sunderland, senior Western Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch.

A number of other organizations -- including UNAIDS, the World Health Organization, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights -- have all opposed forcible HIV testing and the isolation or quarantine of people with HIV.

What are your thoughts on the Greek law? Is it a fair use of power or an abuse of human rights? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.