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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Zimbabwe AIDS activist sues prisons over drugs

Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — An AIDS awareness campaigner is pressing Zimbabwe’s highest court to force police and prison authorities ensure HIV sufferers receive life prolonging medication.

Douglas Muzanenhamo said in papers filed at the Supreme Court that he was denied appropriate antiretroviral treatment in jail for three weeks last year and his condition veered toward death.

Muzanenhamo, who has been HIV-infected for 18 years, was freed without charge in March 2011 after police arrested bystanders at a lecture in Harare on the Arab Spring. Police claimed the presentation was to prepare for a revolt in Zimbabwe.

In court documents released Friday, Muzanenhama said he was kept in filthy cells making prisoners with HIV susceptible to fatal infections. He said he was held in solitary confinement for demanding his drugs.