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Some 50 South African AIDS activists were on Tuesday arrested at the Johannesburg-based Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association (PMA) for trespassing and illegal demonstrations.
The demonstrations were part of the "Black Easter" campaign by the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) to demand free HIV/AIDS drugs from local pharmaceutical companies.
"We feel these companies have not honoured their pledge to look at our demands and this is why we are intensifying our campaign," NAPWA said in a statement.
PMA promised to consider demands made by NAPWA last year during its daring "Black Christmas" campaign which included a hunger strike.
"We are hoping to make people aware of the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. They have the potential to save lives but they can't do this when they are bent on profiteering from antiretroviral drugs," NAPWA spokesman, Thanduxolo Doro, told the UN news service PlusNews.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions