Alerting the World to AIDS Epidemic in China Is a ‘Public Service, Not a Crime,’ Editorial Says
The release of Dr. Wan Yanhai, the Chinese AIDS activist who was detained for a month by China's State Security Bureau because he released a classified document on the epidemic, "is good news for the fight against the deadly disease and also for China's efforts to be integrated into the world community," a Boston Globe editorial states. However, the charge against Wan "is absurd" because "[a]lerting the world to the AIDS epidemic in China is a public service, not a crime." The Globe says that "official denial of AIDS only delays treatment and promotes the spread of the disease," concluding that Chinese officials must "realize that transparency and prevention are the only hope against a disease that can negate many of the highest aspirations of a nation" (Boston Globe, 9/27).
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