World | Russia Chechnya Requires Marrying Couples Be HIV-Negative Imams demand certificate before approving marriages By Nick McMaster Posted Jan 18, 2011 4:47 PM CST Copied A girl walks near city decorations marking the upcoming New Year in downtown Grozny, Chechnya, southern Russia, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev) Chechnya's Muslim authorities have handed down a new edict that requires all marrying couples to prove they are HIV-negative, Reuters reports. The order is not exactly a "law"—in fact, it violates Russian law, say human rights advocates—but given the wide influence of the nation's Islamic clerics, it carries great weight. An imam can now approve a marriage only after seeing an HIV-negative certificate. Read These Next Salesforce CEO's ICE joke leaves employees fuming. A federal judge backed Mark Kelly in his fight against Pete Hegseth. Elon Musk responds to the mass exodus at xAI. He evaded arrest for 16 years, but his luck ran out at the Olympics. Report an error