Lesotho: Death Penalty for rapists with AIDS

Death Penalty to be reintroduced as sexual violence explodes

The government of Lesotho, a land-locked nation inside South Africa, has decided to clamp down on a rising incidence of sexual violence. Parliament has brought back the death penalty for rapists who are HIV positive.

While 30% of the population of Lesotho is infected with AIDS, cases of rape multiply as sexual violence spirals out of control. As in South Africa, there is the belief that sexual relations with a virgin will protect men against AIDS or cure them if they have already contracted the disease.

In future, rapists will be subjected to a blood test, to determine what penalty is to be applied. For those who perpetrate the crime knowing that they are HIV positive, the law stipulates capital punishment. Those who commit a rape ignorant of their state of health, the minimum penalty will be 10 years imprisonment.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru