US embassy cable - 05FRANKFURT7722

UNCLAS FRANKFURT 007722 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SMIG, KCRM, KWMN, ELAB, PGOV, GM 
SUBJECT: Major TIP Trial in Mannheim, Germany 
 
 
Sensitive but unclassified; not for Internet distribution 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY: Criminal proceedings began recently in Mannheim 
against six persons accused of trafficking approximately thirty 
Romanian women into Germany in 2003 and 2004.  The young women 
were recruited with promises of employment as cooks and 
babysitters, but allegedly were beaten and raped (in a number of 
cases) and forced to work as prostitutes upon arrival in Germany. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
Who are the Traffickers? 
------------------------ 
 
2. (SBU) Five men and one woman (ages twenty-eight to forty- 
eight) have been charged in this case.  Three of the group are 
Romanian citizens, one is a German, and the other two are Turks. 
The prosecutor's office in Mannheim characterized the three 
Romanians as key members of the trafficking ring.  The German 
citizen is accused of prostituting the trafficked women -- as the 
operator of two brothels in Erfurt (state of Thuringia) where 
many of the women were ultimately forced to work. 
 
No Money, No Way to Communicate, No Way Out 
------------------------------------------- 
 
3. (U) The Romanian women were brought to Germany between spring 
2003 and 2004.  They had been told they were going to work as 
babysitters and cooks, but upon arrival in Germany were forced 
into prostitution.  The women found themselves in a situation in 
which they had no money, no means to communicate or ask for help 
(including language barriers), and no understanding of the local 
legal system.  Those who initially refused to work as prostitutes 
were reportedly beaten and raped repeatedly.  According to press 
reports, one woman who refused to work was beaten, threatened 
with death, and then taken to a party where she was gang-raped. 
 
Court Proceedings in Mannheim 
----------------------------- 
 
4. (U) The trial just opened in Mannheim.  Charges in the case 
include rape, forced prostitution, trafficking in persons, and 
illegal immigration.  Eighteen additional court sessions are 
scheduled through the end of November.  Post is following the 
case and will report further developments. 
 
5. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Berlin. 
 
BODDE