Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, December 2, 2003
Alistair Thomson
The Philadelphia-based American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) said in a statement late on Monday -- World AIDS Day -- it was nominating Zackie Achmat and his Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) for their work.
"Through mass mobilisation, civil disobedience, legal action, extraordinary personal sacrifice, and visionary leadership, Zackie Achmat and TAC have helped to galvanise a global movement to provide hope and gain access to treatment for those with HIV/AIDS," the AFSC said.
The AFSC is able to nominate Nobel Peace Prize candidates since it received the 1947 award along with its British counterpart for humanitarian service during two world wars.
"I am deeply honored. The gains made by the TAC have been due to the efforts of thousands of people. It is the organization as a whole that must be commended for the achievements thus far," Achmat said in a statement.
South Africa has five million people with HIV -- more than any other country.
The government long refused to supply free antiretrovirals citing concern over high cost, side effects and poor basic health infrastructure to deliver them in many areas.
But in the face of mounting pressure at home and abroad, it approved plans last month to make antiretroviral drugs available free to all through the public health service.
PRAISE FROM NOBEL LAUREATES
Achmat has become a thorn in the government's side but has been publicly praised by compatriots Archbishop Desmond Tutu former President Nelson Mandela -- both Nobel Peace laureates for their roles in bringing an end to apartheid white rule.
Tutu used a World AIDS Day event on Monday to applaud Achmat and his TAC. The group received the Mandela Award earlier this year for its work to improve the health of disadvantaged South Africans, with the personal endorsement of the iconic statesman.
Born in Johannesburg 40 years ago, Achmat grew up in a Muslim community in Cape Town and was detained several times as an anti-apartheid youth activist.
He was prominent in the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality and the AIDS Law Project before founding the TAC in 1998. Open about having HIV, he long refused to take antiretroviral drugs that help delay the onset of AIDS.
He finally agreed to start treatment in August, saying his death would do nothing to further the cause, but by that time the South African government had made clear it was moving toward universal treatment.
"The AFSC Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Committee believes the non-violent campaign by Zackie Achmat and TAC has in a relatively short time made a significant contribution in the global struggle against AIDS and for peace and security and that it is deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize," the AFSC said.
Among those eligible to nominate candidates for the prize are members of national parliaments, academics and former Nobel winners.
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