Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08MINSK185
2008-03-14 12:18:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Minsk
Cable title:
TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO LENGTHY JAIL TERM
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHSK #0185 0741218 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 141218Z MAR 08 FM AMEMBASSY MINSK TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7024 INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 3659 RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0104 RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW 3497 RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 1814 RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 3913 RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0367 RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0136 RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1876 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
UNCLAS MINSK 000185
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR G/TIP (ROFMAN/DONNELLY)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KWMN PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO LENGTHY JAIL TERM
UNCLAS MINSK 000185
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR G/TIP (ROFMAN/DONNELLY)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KWMN PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO LENGTHY JAIL TERM
1. On March 3, a Gomel district court sentenced a local 59-year-old
woman to 11 years in a minimum security jail on human trafficking
charges. The unnamed defendant was convicted under the TIP-specific
Criminal Code Article 181 "Kidnapping Human Beings for the Purpose
of Exploitation," which allows for stiffer sentences in such cases.
The court found her guilty of recruiting girls for sexual
exploitation abroad "by deceit and abuse of trust." The judge also
ordered property confiscation and BYR 1.5 million (USD 700) in
compensation to victims.
2. Anti-TIP and drug trafficking police arrested the woman at a
Belarus-Ukraine border crossing May 26, 2007 as she was attempting
to traffic two young women to Turkey. The subsequent investigation
established she had already trafficked over 10 women to the United
Arab Emirates for sexual exploitation and made a profit of about USD
16,000 per victim. The police maintained the defendant was one of
the founders of a criminal trafficking ring based in Gomel who
reportedly had been convicted of a TIP-related crime and served a
short jail term in 2001.
3. Pol/Econ FSN spoke to an independent journalist who covered the
case. She surmised that the harsh sentence stemmed from the GOB's
desire to boost TIP convictions and demonstrate its resolve to
become a leading force in combating TIP in the region. In private
conversations with the reporter, the victims admitted they sought
the convict's assistance in organizing travel to work as
prostitutes. As with the April 2007 case against the owners of a
modeling agency accused of trafficking, the hearings for this case
were held behind closed doors. Authorities contend this was done to
ensure victims' privacy and security.
Comment
--------------
4. The lengthy jail term for the convicted trafficker is an
encouraging sign that authorities are taking prosecution of
trafficking seriously. Though the victims in the case supposedly
sought work abroad as prostitutes, the fact that authorities
acknowledge this remains human trafficking is a positive step. That
said, the goal of shielding victims' identities can be achieved
without denying defendants their rights under the Belarusian
constitution to a public trial.
Moore
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR G/TIP (ROFMAN/DONNELLY)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KWMN PGOV PHUM BO
SUBJECT: TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO LENGTHY JAIL TERM
1. On March 3, a Gomel district court sentenced a local 59-year-old
woman to 11 years in a minimum security jail on human trafficking
charges. The unnamed defendant was convicted under the TIP-specific
Criminal Code Article 181 "Kidnapping Human Beings for the Purpose
of Exploitation," which allows for stiffer sentences in such cases.
The court found her guilty of recruiting girls for sexual
exploitation abroad "by deceit and abuse of trust." The judge also
ordered property confiscation and BYR 1.5 million (USD 700) in
compensation to victims.
2. Anti-TIP and drug trafficking police arrested the woman at a
Belarus-Ukraine border crossing May 26, 2007 as she was attempting
to traffic two young women to Turkey. The subsequent investigation
established she had already trafficked over 10 women to the United
Arab Emirates for sexual exploitation and made a profit of about USD
16,000 per victim. The police maintained the defendant was one of
the founders of a criminal trafficking ring based in Gomel who
reportedly had been convicted of a TIP-related crime and served a
short jail term in 2001.
3. Pol/Econ FSN spoke to an independent journalist who covered the
case. She surmised that the harsh sentence stemmed from the GOB's
desire to boost TIP convictions and demonstrate its resolve to
become a leading force in combating TIP in the region. In private
conversations with the reporter, the victims admitted they sought
the convict's assistance in organizing travel to work as
prostitutes. As with the April 2007 case against the owners of a
modeling agency accused of trafficking, the hearings for this case
were held behind closed doors. Authorities contend this was done to
ensure victims' privacy and security.
Comment
--------------
4. The lengthy jail term for the convicted trafficker is an
encouraging sign that authorities are taking prosecution of
trafficking seriously. Though the victims in the case supposedly
sought work abroad as prostitutes, the fact that authorities
acknowledge this remains human trafficking is a positive step. That
said, the goal of shielding victims' identities can be achieved
without denying defendants their rights under the Belarusian
constitution to a public trial.
Moore