SWAZILAND’s minister of health and social welfare, Dr. Phetsile Dlamini, is piloting a health bill which calls for the death sentence for rapists with infectious diseases. According to the bill, rape convicts who infect their victims with the HIV/AIDS, whether knowingly or unknowingly, will face the death penalty in future if the law comes into effect. The rapists can also be forced to compensate the victim with an amount to be determined by the court. The same fate would befall persons convicted of other sexual offences like indecent assault, sodomy and incest that results in their victims being infected with the HIV virus. According to the new Public Health Bill, which has just been published, the death sentence shall be given in compliance with the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act. The bill also stipulates a life imprisonment for people who knowingly suffer from AIDS or who have tested HIV positive and later infect their partners. Swaziland is ranked fifth among countries of sub-Saharan Africa hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS scourge.