Calls for Iran to release AIDS doctors

A human rights group is calling on Iran to immediately release or charge two doctors renowned for their work on the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS.

Human Rights Watch says the authorities have not disclosed why Arash and Kamyar Alaei were detained last month, or where they are being held.

The two brothers have travelled widely outside Iran, including to the United States, to take part in conferences on HIV/AIDS.

They are credited with convincing the Iranian authorities to tackle the stigma of HIV infection and AIDS, in a country where sex, drug abuse and the disease itself are taboo subjects.