This just in from Human Rights Watch:


For Immediate Release:

For more information, please contact:
In New York, Joanne Csete:  +1-212-216-1224 (o)
                                               +1-646-742-0558 (h)
In London, Bronwen Manby:  +44-20-7239.0290


South Africa:  Stop court fight on AIDS drugs

(New York, November 21, 2001) -- Appealing to his history of leadership
in the country's struggle for rights and freedoms, Human Rights Watch
today urged President Thabo Mbeki to have his government drop its fight
against a legal appeal for low-cost AIDS treatment for pregnant women.

The South African government is currently in court fighting a case
brought by the Treatment Action Campaign of South Africa to ensure
HIV-positive women have access to affordable antiretroviral treatment to
reduce the risk of transmission of HIV to their newborns.  A hearing in
the case is scheduled for November 26 in the Pretoria High Court.
President Mbeki has at various times denied that the human
immunodeficiency virus is the cause of AIDS and has alleged dangers of
anti-AIDS drugs that are unproven in clinical science.

"Mbeki should pull the government out of this case and support programs
to help newborns start life free of HIV," said Peter Takirambudde,
executive director of Human Rights Watch's Africa Division.  "Even in
much lower-income African countries, women increasingly have access to
this treatment."

South Africa has the largest number of persons living with HIV/AIDS of
any country, about 4.2 million, according to United Nations figures.
The Medical Research Council of South Africa recently estimated that 7
million persons could die of HIV/AIDS by 2010, mostly young adults in
their prime.  Although South Africa has resources to provide treatment
to a significant number of AIDS sufferers, the government has
consistently resisted supporting treatment programs.

In April 2001, South Africa won a victory against 39 pharmaceutical
companies that had sued the government because of the provisions of a
1997 law that would have facilitated the production and importation of
generic drugs for HIV/AIDS.  The opportunity for treatment programs that
was created when the companies dropped their suit in the face of
national and international pressure has been left unused by the
government, which does not fund treatment programs on a significant
level.

"President Mbeki could go a long way to redeeming his mishandling of
AIDS by supporting the treatment for mother-to-child transmission," said
Takirambudde.

Human Rights Watch urged President Mbeki to lead the government in
increasing budgetary support for HIV/AIDS programs - currently allocated
less than 1 percent of the national budget - and in working with the
medical and public health leaders in South Africa who are already
mobilized to strengthen both prevention and treatment programs.

"President Mbeki's questioning of the science of HIV/AIDS and the South
African government's active refusal to support programs of known
effectiveness is helping to fuel the AIDS crisis in South Africa," said
Takirambudde.  "This is much worse than the government inaction we have
seen so often regarding HIV/AIDS."

A copy of the letter sent to President Mbeki can found at
http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/11/mbekiltr1120.htm.


--
Africa Division
Human Rights Watch
New York Office
http://www.hrw.org