Readers unhappy with suspended sentence in HIV case

The following comments reflect the views of DW-WORLD.DE readers. Not all reader comments have been published. DW-WORLD.DE reserves the right to edit for length and appropriateness of content.

German pop star gets suspended sentence in HIV case

I think Nadja got off easy by only getting two years probation. I think she should have gotten the full ten years as already allowed under the German statute. -- Paul, US

Man with HIV infection = death sentence. "Celebrity" (ahem) charged with aggravated assault = 300 hours community service and two years - suspended! I would like to compliment the presiding judge for the best laugh I've had today! It's good to know that the English legal system isn't the only one with nepotism at its core. -- Reginal, Great Britain

Holding people who carry forth such acts of negligence accountable is of the utmost importance. How dare she or anyone else have unprotected sex knowing they are contaminated with the HIV virus? It's another reason why we cannot trust people with our body temples. No doubt the HIV person is going through a lot of emotional, mental, and spiritual trauma. Yet, if that were the excuse given by a political or financial leader concerning our present global economic crisis due to any negligence on their part; we would have the leader indicted, impeached, and/or imprisoned. So money is more important than good health. -- Darrell, US

In my opinion, it should be a crime as you are endangering the lives of your partners and also contributing to the spread of the disease. It is also selfish on your part to seek pleasure at other's peoples' expense. A mature person is responsible for his or her actions and thus should think of the greater majority. -- Tracy, Philippines

I wonder why Nadja's partner was not using a condom? Nadja was not the only one to blame, in my opinion. I'll love Nadja forever, she is good star. -- Ibrahim, Libya

In my humble opinion, sexual relations should be in a different category to confectionary. Both are consumed for pleasure. That is fine. But if you lace the confection with arsenic you will kill someone. Unless something is done, people will regard sex as harmless confectionary. When HIV appeared in the early 80's it was straightaway clear that it was an unpleasant fatal infection. Well now it can be held in control by taking multi-drug therapy for life - so what? It is still serious and unpleasant. When people have sex they must be aware they can transmit revolting fatal diseases. Is that new? No, because the same has been so since endemic syphilis appeared in the 1500s. Sex is not like eating chocolate. Given the long history of sexually transmitted disease, it seems unwise, all of a sudden, to become slack in punishing those who spread them among us. Jail them. -- Fred, Australia

The media should report everything about celebrities because they have chosen to be in the limelight, and hence if their privacy was so important to them they should have remained away from publicity and limelight. But that is not the real issue. The issue is that in western culture, sex has been commercialized, women have been turned into a commodity, and sex is accepted as an act of pleasure only with no strings attached or moral values transgressed. Hence the man who acquired the virus from the singer reaped for what he had sowed. This rot is so deep that there is no redress in sight. -- Kannaiya, India

Compiled by Stuart Tiffen
Editor: Chuck Penfold