by Rex Wockner
Russian gay activists have launched a campaign to stop mandatory HIV testing of foreigners who wish to remain in the country for more than three months.
Those who test positive are denied a visa.
The activists wrote to President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"Requesting HIV status in a visa application can be considered as an intrusion to private life in the definition of article 8 of the European Convention for Human Rights," said well-known Moscow activist Nikolai Alekseev.
According to the activists, Russia and Armenia are the only members of the 47-nation Council of Europe to have such a policy.
Other nations that reportedly restrict the entry of HIV-positive foreigners include Colombia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sudan and Yemen.
The United States apparently is still in the process of lifting its ban on HIV-positive foreigners and immigrants.
Last year, Congress repealed the law that banned HIV-positive persons but failed to amend the government's actual list of "communicable diseases of public health significance" for visa purposes. The Bush administration left HIV on the list, and the Obama administration has not yet removed it.
