POST ASSISTS IN REPATRIATION OF UKRAINIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000553

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV UP TU CY KCRM KWMN
SUBJECT: POST ASSISTS IN REPATRIATION OF UKRAINIAN
TRAFFICKING VICTIM

REF: 04 NICOSIA 2296

Classified By: Ambassador Ronald L. Schlicher, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) On April 13, Ukrainian Ambassador Borys Humeniuk
telephoned Ambassador Schlicher about a 23-year old Ukrainian
woman, Oxana Nahod, who had been trafficked to the northern
part of Cyprus -- where she was reportedly being mistreated
and forced to work against her will in a night club. In a
subsequent meeting with poloff, Ambassador Humeniuk said that
Ukrainian security services in Kiev had reported that Nahod's
life was in danger and that she was suicidal. The security
services had said that another five Ukrainian women with
Nahod were also being held against their will, but Humeniuk
was unable to provide additional information on these women.
Citing GOC sensitivities over contact with Turkish Cypriot
officials, Humeniuk requested U.S. assistance in locating and
returning Nahod from the "TRNC," where she had reportedly
been taken after arriving at Larnaca airport in the south.
Shortly after our meeting with the Ukrainians here, Embassy
Kiev contacted us to relay similar concerns they had heard
about Nahod from the GOU.


2. (C) Post facilitated contact between the Ukrainian
embassy and the Turkish Cypriot immigration police, who found
Nahod at the "Crazy Girls" nightclub and immediately removed
her to accommodation at Ercan airport. The police told
Embassy Nicosia that Nahod had signed a statement saying "she
was fine," but that she wanted to go home because her mother
had heart trouble. They also claimed that Nahod had said she
planned to return to work in Cyprus as soon as her mother had
recovered. A representative from the Ukrainian Embassy
visited her at the airport and later reported that although
she was frightened, Nahod was unharmed. Nahod reportedly
told the Ukrainian diplomat that despite information to the
contrary, she had entered Cyprus through Ercan airport in the
north. She wanted to leave because she was frightened after
witnessing a beating of her fellow "artistes" at the
nightclub. She had no plans to return to Cyprus.


3. (C) The Turkish Cypriot police arranged for her
deportation to Ukraine through Istanbul, and Turkish Cypriot
officials report that she left the "TRNC" on a Turkish
Airways flight in the early hours of April 14.


4. (C) COMMENT: This is the first time Post has seen the
Ukrainian embassy take an active interest in a trafficking
case, despite the fact that a majority of identified
trafficking victims in Cyprus are Ukrainian. Not more than
two months ago, Ambassador Humeniuk reportedly told one of
our TIP contacts that trafficking victims were "not his
problem" since they "knew what they were getting into" when
they came to Cyprus. That attitude has been reflected in his
embassy's actions; until now, the "diplomatic working group"
we formed last year to cooperate on TIP matters with local
Ukrainian, Russian and Romanian representatives has been
largely inactive. We are guardedly optimistic that this
incident may herald a more serious engagement on the part of
Ukrainian diplomats here. For their part, the Turkish
Cypriot police appear to have been very responsive to the
Ukrainian request for assistance in this case -- as they have
in previous cases when we have approached them on behalf of
TIP victims (reftel). When we spoke to "President" Talat's
private secretary on the matter, he immediately offered "any
help you need." Although the north has a long way to go in
combating its significant TIP problem, their speedy action in
this case is encouraging. END COMMENT.
SCHLICHER