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Acknowledgements

This report was written by Diederik Lohman, senior researcher with the HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Program, based on research conducted by Diederik Lohman and a consultant to Human Rights Watch, Maria Ovchinnikova of FrontAIDS and Svecha. It was reviewed by Joseph Amon, director of the HIV/AIDS Program; Rachel Denber, deputy director with the Europe and Central Asia Division; Aisling Reidy, senior legal advisor, and Ian Gorvin, consultant in the Program Office of Human Rights Watch. Many helpful comments were provided by Rebecca Schleifer, advocate with the HIV/AIDS Program at Human Rights Watch, Daniel Wolfe of the International Harm Reduction Development Program at the Open Society Institute, and Richard Elovich, a New York-based medical sociologist and substance use specialist with extensive experience working in the field of drug dependence treatment in countries of the former Soviet Union. Production assistance was provided by Clara Presler, Andrea Holley, Veronica Matushaj, and Fitzroy Hepkins. This report was translated into Russian by Igor Gerbich. The author is also grateful for the assistance provided by Ivanna Bilych and Mihra Rittmann.

A number of experts and nongovernmental organizations in Russia and elsewhere assisted with this research. Human Rights Watch gratefully acknowledges Albert Zaripov and staff members of Roza Vetrov, Larisa Badrieva, Slava Matiushkin, Anton Blinov and staff members of Obnovlenie, and Vladimir Mendelevich of the Institute for Mental Health Research at Kazan State University in Kazan; Sergei Oleinik, Nadezhna Fedoseyeva and staff members of the Foundation Anti-AIDS in Penza; and Olga Kirrilova, Viktoria Osipenko, Inna Vyshemirskaya, and other HIV/AIDS activists in Kaliningrad. We are also grateful to Janna Ataiants of the International Harm Reduction Development Program; Lev Levinson of the Institute for Human Rights and the Public Expertise Institute; Dasha Ocheret of the drug users organization Kolodets; Anya Sarang of the Russian Harm Reduction Network; Shona Shonning of the Community of People Living with HIV/AIDS (now with with Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network); Alexandra Volgina of FrontAIDS; and Andrei Zlobin of the Community of People Living with HIV/AIDS for sharing their considerable expertise and valuable insights with us.

Most of all, we thank the drug users, former drug users, and people living with HIV/AIDS who were courageous enough to share their experiences with us.