IAS 2025: Increases in reports of HIV criminalisation cases globally
26 July 2025. Related: Conference reports, Activism & advocacy, IAS 13th Kigali 2025.
Simon Collins, HIV i-Base
A poster at IAS 2025 from HIV Justice Network presented results from the international HIV Criminalisation Database that compiles legislation, cases and organisations related to HIV criminalisation. [1, 2]
This year the results show an increase in the number of people criminalised for either non-disclosure or unintended transmission during 2024 to mid-2025.
Cases often intersected with anti-LGBTQ+, racial, and gender-based discrimination, with more severe penalties reported due to HIV being a factor.
The poster reports that at least 65 new HIV criminalisation cases were reported in 22 countries during 2024.
The countries with the highest number of reports included Russia (25 cases) and the United States (11), followed by Uzbekistan, Spain, Argentina, Belarus, Senegal, and Singapore.
During the first six months of 2025, 48 cases reported, including from Uzbekistan (28), Russia (9) followed by the US, Canada, and Argentina.
Although case numbers will always be a considerable underestimate due to underreporting, this was an increase compared to the previous two years.
The poster also reports positive examples of previous legislation against people living with HIV being overturned or updated. This occurred in several US States, Mexico City, Ukraine, Singapore and Uzbekistan. However, 83 countries still have HIV-specific criminal laws.
In a related press release, Edwin J. Bernard, Executive Director of the HIV Justice Network said: “These cases show that HIV criminalisation remains a global crisis. Far too often, people living with HIV are prosecuted not for causing harm, but simply for living with a health condition – often in ways that are unscientific, discriminatory, and deeply unjust.” [3]
References
- Bernard EJ et al. Recent progress and setbacks in HIV criminalisation around the world. IAS 2025. 13-17 July 2025. E-poster EP0622.
https://www.hivjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IAS-2025-HJN-poster-v04-FINAL.pdf (PDF) - HIV Criminalisation Database.
https://www.hivjustice.net/global-hiv-criminalisation-database - HIV Justice Network. New global data reveals rising HIV criminalisation amid stalling legal reforms. 15 July 2025.
https://www.hivjustice.net/news/new-global-data-reveals-rising-hiv-criminalisation-amid-stalling-legal-reforms