Chinese court in east China hears first HIV discrimination case involving jobseeker

The Chinese mainland's first court case concerning discrimination against a HIV positive jobseeker began Wednesday in east China's Anhui Province.

The trial involves a college graduate in Anqing City who was denied a teaching job because he is HIV positive.

The hearing in the Yingjiang District Court was closed to the public out of privacy concerns.

The plaintiff, going by the alias Xiao Wu, did not appear in court, while the defendant, Anqing City Education Department, was represented in court by an attorney, according to court sources.

After fierce debate between the attorneys of both sides, the court adjourned before noon. The judge did not say when a verdict will be handed down.

The attorneys' arguments focused on whether the physical examination criteria for teacher recruitment should be the state physical examination standard for civil servants, which do not allow any person suffering from an sexually transmitted disease from working as a civil servant.

The lawyers for the plaintiff argued that since teachers are not civil servants the criteria for teachers should not be the civil servant standards.

The Anqing City Education Department refused Xiao Wu, in his early 20s, a teaching job in August after he tested positive for HIV.

Source:Xinhua
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