US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN171

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 YEREVAN 000171 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CACEN; E.SIDEREAS; INL/AAE, J.CAMPBELL; 
G/TIP, R.LERNER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2014 
TAGS: AM, KCRM, SNAR, UZ 
SUBJECT: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS TO ARMENIA 
 
Classified By: Ambassador.  Reasons: 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  The Government of Armenia, local NGOs and 
international organizations working in Armenia largely 
acknowledge that Armenia has a problem with trafficking in 
persons.  To date, Armenia has been discussed primarily as a 
country of origin and transit for trafficking victims.  A 
recent case now establishes that Armenia may also be a 
country of destination for trafficking victims.  INL staff 
met with a local NGO, which manages a trafficking victim 
assistance program in Armenia to discuss a recent case of 
trafficking in persons to Armenia for the purpose of sexual 
exploitation.  Currently, 6 victims of Uzbek citizenship are 
being provided shelter and other necessary services by the 
NGO in Armenia and the alleged traffickers are being detained 
and investigated under Article 132 of the Criminal Code, 
which criminalizes trafficking in persons.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
RECENT ARREST OF TRAFFICKERS 
 
 
2.  (C) We were informed by a local NGO, Hope and Help, which 
provides assistance to victims of trafficking under the 
auspices of a USG-funded program, that Armenian law 
enforcement officials referred 6 Uzbek nationals to Hope and 
Help for assistance in mid-January.  According to Hope and 
Help, traffickers, a woman and her two sons, were recently 
arrested under Article 132 of the Criminal Code, which 
criminalizes trafficking in persons, for their alleged role 
in organizing the trafficking of at least 8 Uzbek woman to 
Armenia for the purpose of sexual exploitation.  The alleged 
traffickers are Uzbek citizens of Armenian nationality.  They 
were arrested along with 8 presumed victims by the First 
Department of the Fourth Directorate of the National Police 
in mid-January.  The alleged victims were later released and 
6 of them were referred to Hope and Help, while an additional 
2 women were referred to a separate NGO, which manages a 
domestic violence program in Armenia. 
 
 
TRAFFICKING TO ARMENIA: A CASE STUDY 
 
 
3.  (C) During discussions with Hope and Help, we had the 
opportunity to speak briefly with 4 of the Uzbek women.  One 
woman is 18 years old, 2 are 19 years old, and the other 
women are 20, 23 and 29.  They are primarily from small towns 
in Uzbekistan and have similar family situations-- one or 
both parents are deceased; one of the women's husband passed 
away, leaving her alone to provide for her small 
child/children.  All of the women allegedly knew that they 
would be going to Armenia to work as elite prostitutes in 
local high-end saunas.  All of the women traveled to Armenia 
legally on their own passports.  (Note: Uzbek nationals do 
not require a visa to travel to Armenia.  End Note.) 
 
4.  (C) According to the women, they were not met at the 
airport, but took a taxi from the airport to a local hotel, 
where they were met by the trafficker, "Angela." The 
trafficker took their passports from them under the guise of 
registering them with local officials and the passports were 
not returned to them.  (Note: The passports were confiscated 
by the Police at the time of the traffickers' arrest and 
remain with the Police at the time of writing.  End Note.) 
There was no official agreement in place between the women 
and the traffickers; however, the women were told that they 
owed the traffickers USD 5,000 for the cost of travel and 
related services.  It was verbally agreed that after working 
off the $5,000 debt, the women would be free to continue 
working for themselves, but would provide 50% of earnings to 
the traffickers. They were moved to 2 apartments on Pushkin 
Street, in the center of the capital, Yerevan. 
 
5.  (C) In addition to the original $5,000 debt, the women 
were required to pay $300 each for the apartment where they 
lived (Note: They were living 4 to an apartment.  End Note.) 
and $100 each for food each month.  This sum was taken from 
their monthly "earnings."  Furthermore, under the guise of 
ensuring that the women were dressed appropriately, they were 
required to procure clothing and other accessories.  The 
traffickers bought these things for them and they were 
charged exorbitant prices for them-- again the cost of the 
goods being taken from their "earnings." In the same way, the 
traffickers procured articles for the apartments such as 
expensive sound systems, leather furniture, etc.  Just before 
the New Year's holiday, the women each received their only 
payment to date-- $100.  The women were not allowed to move 
around the city without an escort, although two of the women 
claimed to have slightly more freedom of movement. 
 
6.  (C) According to Hope and Help, clients contacted the 
traffickers directly and agreed on the location and fee.  The 
women were sent to exclusive saunas via taxi and returned the 
same way.  They were required to provide the full fee to the 
traffickers upon their return.  The women claim to have 
serviced on average 1-2 clients each day at a minimum.  One 
woman estimates her "earnings" to be approximately $3,500 in 
a month; a second believes she "earned" approximately $4,500 
in one month.  The women reported to Hope and Help that their 
clients all used condoms and treated them well.  (Comment: 
Hope and Help has arranged for gynecological exams for all of 
the women through their USG-funded assistance program.  End 
Comment.) 
 
7.  (C) Although, they do not know the identity of any of 
their clients, the women reported that they were all 
obviously wealthy men driving expensive imported vehicles. 
(Comment: GOAM officials and local NGOs have previously 
asserted that Armenia is not likely a destination country due 
to the poor economic situation; however, Hope and Help 
believes that VIP clients in Armenia would likely prefer to 
procure services of women from outside Armenia to maintain 
their anonymity.  End Comment.) 
 
 
HOW DOES LAW ENFORCEMENT IN ARMENIA RATE? 
 
 
8.  (U) Article 132, criminalizing trafficking in persons, if 
done for mercenary purposes, was included in Armenia's 
Criminal Code, which was ratified in April 2003.  Since the 
Code entered into effect in August 2003, several criminal 
investigations under Article 132 have been initiated by 
Armenian law enforcement.  No cases to date have been 
prosecuted because investigations are still ongoing; however, 
a representative of the Office of the Procurator General is 
hopeful that the first case will be prosecuted in Spring 
2004.  Of these cases, Armenian law enforcement has closely 
cooperated with U.A.E. law enforcement on at least one case. 
Another case involving trafficking of women from Central 
Asia, including Uzbeks, through the Caucasus to the U.A.E. by 
an Armenian-Georgian trafficking ring highlights successful 
bilateral law enforcement cooperation between Armenia and 
Georgia.  In fall of 2003, proactive Armenia law enforcement 
intervention saved several young, mentally ill women from 
being trafficked to the U.A.E. when they were intercepted at 
the airport while attempting to depart Armenia. 
 
9.  (C) On another level, the case described herein has 
provided the Embassy with the opportunity to monitor how 
Armenian law enforcement deals with victims of trafficking in 
persons.  Two issues that Hope and Help is monitoring closely 
are the fate of the women's passports, which are in the 
custody of Police, and whether or not the women will be 
deported from Armenia.  The Police have not yet indicated 
what will become of the passports; however, one officer did 
assert that the women might be deported from Armenia.  Hope 
and Help maintains that the women have not violated Armenian 
immigration law, and therefore cannot legally be deported. 
Furthermore, they are concerned about the ability of the 
women to return to Uzbekistan and maintain their anonymity if 
they are officially deported from Armenia. 
 
10.  (C) Treatment of the victims at the time of arrest and 
during questioning has also been cause for concern.  Armenian 
law does not provide victims/witnesses the right to have an 
attorney or other representative present during the interview 
process.  The women have reported that there have been some 
instances of abuse and/or hostile interview tactics during 
questioning.  One of the women alleged that during the first 
interrogation she was beaten over the head 2-3 times by 
Police, at which point she lost consciousness.  The Police, 
fearing that her injuries were serious, called for Emergency 
Medical Assistance.  Hope and Help confirmed that after 
returning to the shelter from the Police that day, the victim 
was visibly shaken and had a large bruise from an injection 
administered by the responding doctor. Other assertions by 
the victims include being forced to sign victim/witness 
reports under threat and abusive language and name-calling. 
 
11.  (C) A source of frustration for the police may be a lack 
of cooperation and understanding of the situation on the part 
of some of the victims.  Hope and Help has raised the 
awareness of the victims on the trafficking phenomenon and 
their rights under Armenian law.  However, they are still 
having a hard time identifying themselves as victims and hold 
out hope that their "belongings" (i.e., clothing, 
electronics, furniture, etc. procured by the traffickers) 
will be returned to them.  One of the victims was 
romantically involved with one of the traffickers while still 
in Uzbekistan and "out of love for him" is torn about 
providing information to the Police. 
 
 
WHAT WILL BE THE FATE OF THE VICTIMS? 
 
12.  (SBU) In the past, IOM Armenia assisted in the voluntary 
repatriation of Uzbek trafficking victims in transit through 
Armenia to Uzbekistan.  IOM does not have a mission in 
Uzbekistan; therefore, IOM Kazakhstan provided assistance in 
this instance.  The return was slow and cumbersome.  Hope and 
Help is currently working with IOM to determine the 
possibility of providing return assistance to the current 
victims, if Armenian law enforcement does not deport the 
women and returns the confiscated passports.  Post will 
continue to follow developments in this case. 
 
ORDWAY