Human rights activists in Nigeria have blasted a fear-mongering article titled “HIV epidemic looms,” which appeared in the Sun News in connection with the July 29 arrest of 40 people in the Lagos area on homosexuality charges.

In the article, writer Chioma Igbokwe intertwined an account of the arrest and subsequent bail proceedings with familiar, frightful myths about homosexuals. The article listed many names of people who were arrested. In a violently homophobic society, being identified as gay is dangerous, no matter what the truth is. The article claimed that “99 percent” of them tested positive for HIV.

Access to Good Health Initiative (AGHI), a human rights/public health community-based organization in Nigeria, issued an official statement condemning the article, stating that it was defamatory. Read more via 76 Crimes