Bahrain court adjourns human trafficking trial

Manama: The Supreme Appeals Court has adjourned the trial of three appellants convicted in connection with human trafficking until April 11 to assign a lawyer for one of the defendants.

The trio, including a Bahraini man and two Russian girls, were earlier sentenced to 10 years behind the bars each after they were found guilty in prostitution case.

They reportedly held two females - also Russian nationals - captives and forced them to have sex with strangers for money. One of the victims is said to be aged below 18.

It has been alleged that one of the Russian convicts facilitated the entry of the victims after manipulating them with fake job opportunities at Bahrain Duty Free.

The court documents show that the victims were asked to sign documents in English upon their arrival, only to be told later that they were acknowledgement of indebtedness.

“She (the first defendant) forced us to commit commercial sexual acts in an apartment, where we had been locked up. She did it after threatening to prosecute us over the signed documents” the teenage victim told prosecutors.

“She also told us that she might kill our families in Russia if we don’t have cooperate with them,” the victim added.

It is claimed that the defendants forced one of the victims into an abortion after she got pregnant during her captivity.

The defendants have been nabbed after one of the victims gave a tip-off to the police.

Prosecutors charged the defendants with living on prostitution, locking two women and forcing them into prostitution.