Botswana: Ruling Political Party 'Politicizing HIV/AIDS' NGOs say

A group of nongovernmental organizations on Monday called on the Botswana Democratic Party to remove a campaign billboard that features a prominent AIDS advocate and links voting for the BDP with receiving antiretroviral drugs at no cost, Agence France-Presse reports. The billboard includes a picture of Helen Ditsebe-Mhone - who in 1992 became the first person in the country to publicly announce her HIV-positive status and founded the Coping Center for People Living with HIV/AIDS - and includes the words, "Free HIV/AIDS drugs. Vote BDP."