Three to stand trial for human trafficking

Three suspects were on Tuesday referred to trial before the Nicosia criminal court accused of belonging to a human trafficking ring following the testimony of an 18-year-old woman.

The young woman contacted the office for combating human trafficking which confirmed her to be a victim of the crime, according to a police announcement.

She was taken to a shelter provided by the state while receiving aid from the social care services.

The three persons are accused of conspiracy to commit a crime, human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, rape and intimidation.

The three suspects were released under conditions.

Cyprus was recently downgraded in the US State Department’s 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) after three years of being in the top tier. The stated reasons were that Cyprus had failed to secure any trafficking convictions, despite several prosecutions over the past four years.