Two Jailed Five Years for Trafficking Victims into Illicit Work

Two defendants have been sentenced to five years in prison and fined 2,000 dinars after the High Criminal Court, found them guilty of trafficking two victims for illicit work.

The court also ordered the pair to pay the cost of returning the victims to their home country, the Public Prosecution said.

The case reached prosecutors after a report from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit at The General Directorate of Crime Detection and Forensic Evidence. Investigators said the defendants had persuaded the victims to travel to Bahrain by offering them jobs.

After they arrived, the victims were allegedly held in a flat and threatened to force them into illicit activities.

The Public Prosecution began inquiries as soon as the report was received. The victims were heard and then placed at a shelter linked to the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons (NCCTIPs).

Prosecutors questioned the defendants and ordered their remand in custody while the inquiry continued. Police were tasked with further checks to establish the facts of the case, and the prosecution heard from the officer who carried them out.

Once the evidence was gathered, the two defendants were referred to criminal trial in custody, and the court handed down its ruling.