"Our death is your shame," the protestors, mainly from non-government organisations, shouted after laying out four coffins in front of the city's municipal administration.

According to activists, only 2,000 people in Russia infected with the HIV virus that leads to AIDS receive free treatment to slow the development of the fatal disease.

The medication costs between 10,000 and 15,000 dollars (7,750 to 11,000 euros) a year, an enormous sum for the average Russian.

According to UNAIDS, the UN Programme on HIV and AIDS, the number of HIV carriers in Russia is 860,000, far above the officially registered figure of

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