Nasser Al Mazrouei is an Emirati HIV patient who has been confined to a health facility for 16 years despite the United Arab Emirates law that states “Authorities shall provide the social, financial and spiritual support to the person living with HIV/Aids and his or her family, in a way that guarantees them a decent life and that they are not isolated from the society.” His family refuses to sign for his release.

We believe his confinement is unacceptable and that he is an adult who should be allowed to live his life normally. There is no reason an HIV patient should be confined and not allowed to leave the health facility because this disease is not contagious and its patients pose no threat to the community. We must end this stigma surrounding HIV patients. Whether a person acquired the virus through blood transfusions or sexual contact is none of our business and does not affect our lives in any way.

The fact that the Baniyas Clinic he is at detains those who have tested positive for HIV and does not allow them to leave without their families’ permission is despicable and inhumane.

We believe the clinic should release Nasser Al Mazrouei and any other adults who wish to leave the facility without their families’ permission.

You can view the full article below with quotes from Nasser Al Mazrouei:

Sources:

http://www.thenational.ae/uae/health/20150303/special-report-emirati-man-with-hiv-held-for-more-than-a-decade-at-health-facility

http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/editorial/society-must-support-those-with-hivaids

http://www.thetaskforce.org/ending-the-criminalization-of-people-with-hiv-new-department-of-justice-guidelines/