Chinese Court Will Hear HIV Case

A Chinese court will hear a discrimination case brought by a man who claimed he was fired from his job because he is HIV-positive -- likely a first-of-its-kind lawsuit in the country.

Regulations adopted by the national governnment in 2006 prohibit job discrimination on the basis of HIV status, though the suit before a court in Anhui province near Shanghai is seen a watershed case, The New York Timesreports.

Zheng Jineng, an attorney for the unidentified man who filed suit after he was fired from his position as a schoolteacher, said, "In the past on sensitive cases like this, the court would be very reluctant to accept the case. But this time they accepted it smoothly and quickly. That means the legal system in China is making progress."

In recent years the government has become more progressive on HIV issues, offering free antiretroviral medications and screening to its citizens.

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