A Cambodian court has convicted an
unlicensed medical practitioner of murder
and sentenced him to 25 years in prison for
spreading HIV among almost 300 villagers.
A spokesman for the court in the
northwestern province of Battambang said
Yem Chrin, 56, was found guilty on Thursday
of torture and cruel behaviour resulting in
death, intentionally spreading HIV and
practising medicine without a licence.
Ten of the villagers have died since the
outbreak began.
Authorities detected an epidemic of human
immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes
AIDS, on December 9 when they started
testing a community in Battambang. The
victims ranged from a two-year-old to elderly
in their 80s.
It first started after a 74-year-old man tested
positive for HIV in November. The man
convinced others in the village who had also
visited Yem Chrin to also get tested.
The court found Yem Chrin guilty of operating
health treatment without license, injecting
people with syringes that spread HIV and
torturing people to die.
Yem Chrin admitted to routinely reusing
syringes but denied intentionally spreading
the virus.
He was arrested in December last year and
taken into protective custody, with the
authorities fearing he might be lynched by
residents of Roka village
doctor who villagers believed had healing
powers and who provided cheap treatment
for the poor.
No comments:
Post a Comment