By Dan Robson, The Star
BRAMPTON, ONTARIO — Yonatan Gezahegne Mekonnen, a city of Brampton resident, has been charged with failing to disclose his positive HIV status to a female he had consensual sex with.
Peel Police say a man put a 21-year-old female at risk of contracting the virus when they had sex throughout January and February of this year.
The man did not inform her of his positive HIV status, police say.
Yonatan, 24, was taken into custody and is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault.
21 thoughts on “Man kept HIV status secret arrested in Canada”
I don’t want to comment on this specif case because we don’t know all the facts. We have seen too many people accused of crimes that they never committed.
However, it is a stupid and more, a cruel idea not to divulge one’s status when it comes to any STD let alone something like HIV, which is still thought by many as a life changer negative experience if not a killer disease.
That is what you call balege, if he did it. God Help him.
It’s not uncommon, because of the stigma attached to it, that many people do not reveal their HIV status. I’m sure this won’t be easy for many in the new future. The only option to remain safe from Sexually Transmitted Diseases, including HIV is therefore everyone to take responsibility for his/her own action. In other words, use safe sex practice, that is, wear condom always, have an HIV test. Always use condom, the life you save might be yours.
He has no brain!
This is to put to an end some one’s life so he must deserve the same for what he did.
shame to him ! he is selfesh , and unmannered pereson that spread the hiv to his own people. if he were nice ,and thinkalbe to others , he can use condome to protect her , and satisfied his sexual thiristy. so this kind of pereson their brain are not fucntion well to underestand the conseconses
innocent,untill proven guilty.
Selfish!!! It looks revenge for me. Shame on him!!
He is living in Canada and he has to abide by law of the country. The law says somebody who is HIV+ has to disclose his status to the person who is going to have sex. So this person starts to live the way he was living back in Ethiopia, freely. That is not working in Canada; a country where you can live freely but always under the law. Then they will take him to hell and good luck to him.
It is happening in DC area with alarming rate watch out brother and sisters, Get tesed before sex or rap it up.
What one should fear most should not be the law written on papers, rather the his/her own conscience.. what and whom does it help to destroy one’s life? Same on him and his types.. there r lots back home who deliberately do the same.. Please Dear All, get a lesson from this story and move forward.. let us all be considerate to others the same way we want others to be considerate for us. Let us see beyond today and save our people.
He is sadist.
let us leave the judgement for God.People,get tested & use condoms before any sexual intercourses,know your self before you blame on somebodyelse!.Unprotected sex & HIV stigma is killing us!it’s time to stop it.I am going for Hiv test,how about you?.Let’s get tested!…any thing can happen.
Thanks for the Canada’s law, as it ia what prompted local authorities to try addressing the issue. By the way, are there other countries which have similar / equivalent laws? I think not having such a law is like NOT CARING FOR CITIZENS. Are rulers back home doing something about this?
Men ale wegen benetesaseb. Endezeh ayenet aremenanet bega beabesha legochlay ayamerem ena entesaseb entenkek. Ferdun lefetare metew yeshalal gen betam chekag neh in my opinen
I am ethio-canadian please our sisters/brothers get tested before you destroyed some ones life. You the moron ones special coming back from home things are scarey dont jump to bed. Our sisters tighten up your legs like your moms. Be safe my county ppl.
We paid to much lives in last two decades, more than two million people dead, a lot more infected. So why don’t take care of ourselves when it comes to sex
Ethiopians please safe sex….safe sex….use condom, before all our population get infected.
I heared this happen a lot in DC & surroundings..what a shamefull act and a crime as well. Please be carefull people!!….specially those who are traveling to DC for da soccer.
I heard that about 28-30% of all young men and women Ethiopians between the ages 13-35 are HIV infected. They may seem healthy but because the availability of the virus-fighting drugs in countries like Ethiopia has helped these infected people to look normal. Is that right? I am scared witless to date any Ethiopian ladies I came across. If this statistics is correct it is really a very sad story. Some of these healthy-looking but HIV-infected individuals can slip through the cracks and show up here and spread the deadly disease. Some one also told me that the disease and infections is spreading like a raging fire in the African community particularly among the Ethiopians in the Los Angeles and DC area. Is this also correct. I am even scared to go and eat at the Ethiopian restaurant. Can some one shed some light on this one? Please help. The last time I have been to an Ethiopian restaurant to eat was in 1998. Help!!!!!!!!
I know him, i went to school with him. So sad don’t even know what to say. If we could stop judging or trying to understand it better maybe we’ll be abel to save 1person at a time.
What a terrible thing to do if in fact he did this. I recently went in for an HIV test, and although I was scared beyond belief I am glad I did it, luckily in turned out to be negative. I consider myself pretty safe, because I was in what I thought was a monogamous relationship for more than 6 years, but my x did not know the word monogamous let alone practice it.
The Ethiopian community in DC is increasingly using drugs (cocaine, X etc…) and alcohol which impairs ones judgment (safe sex) when you are in the act of sex. We have to take charge of our own lives, get tested for HIV and other STDs and protect ourselves, because the other person will not always protect us and each should be responsible for his/her own actions. DC has the highest HIV AIDS rate per capita than anywhere in the US and you would be shocked to know how many Ethiopians in DC are HIV+.
Trust me it’s not worth playing Russian roulette with your life.