The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has issued an indictment against:

1.      Asmik Zhdanova, aka “Asya”, born in 1961 in Armenia, citizen of Ukraine, in custody.

2.      Nataliia Nachinkin, born in 1989, citizen of Ukraine, in custody.

It is alleged against the accused that from early 2019 until January this year, in the area of Mostar and Banja Luka, acting together and in mutual agreement, they organised a group of people to commit the criminal offences of international enticing of persons into prostitution and international human trafficking.

The indictment states that the accused, in order to acquire illegal property gain, recruited foreign nationals, mostly from Ukraine and Russia, and brought them to BiH, found accommodation for them and used them to provide sexual services for money, which resulted in severe consequences to the physical and mental health of some of the victims.

As part of the investigation, evidence was collected that the accused participated in the recruitment, bringing to BiH and exploitation of at least 17 victims of human trafficking, that they forced them to provide sexual services for money in BiH, mostly at locations in rented premises in Mostar, Banja Luka and Bijeljina, which the victims had to do for the accused, and that when the latter would express their disagreement with how they were treated and what they had to do, the accused would force them in various and humiliating ways to continue their activities and further exploit them.

The accused are charged with the following criminal offences: Organised international human trafficking under Article 186a, in conjunction with Article 186 of the Criminal Code of BiH, and International enticement of persons into prostitution under Article 187 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In this case, the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, together with partner institutions and agencies, conducted an extensive investigation, including mutual legal assistance and communication, and the indictment proposes the examination of 42 witnesses, 2 expert witnesses and the submission of about 140 pieces of material evidence.

The indictment was forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.