Bahraini, Russian jailed for human trafficking

Manama : The Supreme Appeals Court has upheld the sentences issued against three appellants convicted on grounds of human trafficking.

The trio, including a Bahraini man and two Russian girls, were earlier slapped with 10 years imprisonment after they were found guilty in a prostitution case. They reportedly held captive two Russian girls and forced them to have sex with strangers for money. One of the victims is said to be a minor. 

According to court files, one of the Russian convicts facilitated the entry of the victims after manipulating them with fake job opportunities at Bahrain Duty Free. 

Court files say that the victims were asked to sign documents in English upon their arrival, only to be told later that they were acknowledgement of indebtedness. “We were forced to have sex in an apartment, where we were locked up.  They threatened to prosecute us over the signed documents” the teenage victim told prosecutors. 

“She also told us she might kill our families in Russia if we rejected their needs,” the victim added. 

It is claimed that the defendants forced one of the victims into an abortion after she became pregnant during her captivity.  The defendants were nabbed after a tip-off by one of the victims.