US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN2540

UNCLAS YEREVAN 002540 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP, DRL AND EUR/CACEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KCRM, AM, KTIP 
SUBJECT: EX-VICTIM OF TRAFFICKING ARRESTED FOR 
RECRUITING WOMEN TO BE TRAFFICKED TO DUBAI 
 
 
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (SBU) Hasmik Hakobyan, a former trafficking victim 
who has been working with the International 
Organization on Migration (IOM) office in Yerevan, was 
arrested on charges of organizing prostitution November 
16, 2004.  Hakobyan purportedly arranged to send two 
women to her former traffickers in Dubai, allegedly in 
an effort to recover money from the traffickers.  End 
Summary. 
 
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DETAILS OF THE CASE 
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2. (SBU) According to case materials, Hasmik Hakobyan 
had connections with a woman in Dubai Anahit Malkhasyan 
who was engaged in trafficking.  Hakobyan had made an 
arrangement with Malkasyan and four of her associates 
(Nanasil Arakelyan, Anahit Grigoryan, Siranush 
Musaelyan and Nelli Harutiunyan), and recruited Liana 
Mkrtchyan and Elmira Hakobyan in August and tried to 
send them to Dubai to engage in prostitution in 
September.  Those actions were prevented when the 
mother of one of the girls applied to the Yerevan 
Police Department, which opened an investigation in 
this case. 
 
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BACKGROUND OF THE SUSPECT AND THE IOM LINK 
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3. (SBU) Hasmik Hakobyan is a former victim of 
trafficking, who is engaged in IOM's trafficking 
victims' assistance activities.  Hakobyan has also 
helped implement an IOM project "Performance against 
Trafficking," and shared her experiences as a former 
victim of trafficking.  According to IOM, Hakobyan had 
connected two women, allegedly prostitutes, with her 
trafficker, in return for money or the promise of 
money.  She had been invited to the Prosecutor 
General's office to testify, where she provided 
evidence against herself.  Following this, the 
Prosecutor's office pressed charges against her and 
demanded her arrest.  Hakobyan subsequently recanted 
her earlier testimony and is currently being held in 
court-authorized pretrial detention. 
 
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COMMENT:  A MESSY CASE 
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4. (SBU) Martin Wyss, the former Head of IOM in 
Yerevan, told us the case against Hakobyan was 
"tragic."  He said that he believed Hakobyan when she 
told him she was seeking to repay a debt to her former 
traffickers the only way she knew how:  by engaging in 
trafficking herself.  While this case may be a blow to 
IOM's anti-trafficking work (which we support) we will 
encourage the GOAM to prosecute this and every other 
trafficking case to the full extent of the law. 
EVANS