Appeals Court to Review Human Trafficking Case on July 14th

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Appeals Court has scheduled a hearing for July 14th to review the case of a woman convicted of human trafficking. The hearing will include the defendant's appearance and legal arguments.

The original trial court sentenced the first and second defendants to three years in prison and a fine of 3,000 Bahraini dinars each. The defendants were also ordered to cover the costs of returning the victims to their home countries, and the first defendant was ordered to be permanently deported from the Kingdom of Bahrain after serving her sentence.

The case stems from events that occurred between 2023 and 2024. The first, second, and third victims, residing in an Asian country, contacted the first defendant who promised them job opportunities in Bahrain as food servers in exchange for substantial financial compensation.

The third victim arrived in Bahrain on December 27th, 2023, followed by the second victim on January 12th, 2024, and the first victim on February 2nd, 2024.

The second defendant received the second and third victims, obtained their passports, and transported them to the first defendant's apartment in the Juffair area.

The defendant also received the first victim, obtained her passport, and transported her to the same location.

The defendants forced the victims to stay in the apartment with the first defendant against their will, restricting their freedom by locking the apartment door to prevent them from leaving.

They coerced the victims into working in nightclubs without their consent, threatening them by falsely claiming they were on a wanted list. The first victim never received any of her wages.

The second victim refused to work in the nightclubs, prompting the second defendant to physically assault her, causing injuries that eventually healed. The first victim managed to contact a relative who reported the incident to the Nabih Saleh Police Station. On February 14th, 2024, the Human Trafficking Unit successfully freed the victims from captivity.

The investigation confirmed the accuracy of the victims' accounts. The first victim testified that she had contacted the first defendant while in her home country, and the defendant had promised her a job in Bahrain as a food server for a salary of approximately 90 Bahraini Dinars.