The Debrecen Appellate Prosecutor’s Office has requested stricter sentencing for the defendants who forced financially vulnerable Hungarian women into prostitution in Germany.
According to the verdict, in the spring of 2016, the defendants decided to transport Hungarian women providing sexual services to Berlin, supervise and control them, and use the income generated from their work to sustain themselves. After securing a “working area” in Berlin, the defendants transported women from Hungary who were in difficult financial situations. Due to their vulnerability, these women primarily engaged in prostitution voluntarily to ensure their families’ financial stability. Between March 2016 and June 2017, at least eleven victims worked in the Berlin streets controlled by the perpetrators and in rented apartments. The members of the criminal organization used the majority of the earnings solely for their own and their families’ livelihood, financing a life of idleness and acquiring luxury goods.
The Eger Court of Law convicted six defendants for human trafficking, pandering, and living on the earnings of prostitution as members of a criminal organization and as co-perpetrators on a continuous basis. The court sentenced four of the defendants to prison terms ranging from 3 to 7 years. It also ruled that the defendants could not be released on parole and ordered the confiscation of the illegally obtained proceeds from prostitution.
The prosecutor’s office appealed the verdict, seeking harsher sentences for four defendants, while the defendants and their attorneys appealed for acquittal or mitigation. The verdict became final for two women convicted of living on the earnings of prostitution.
According to the Debrecen Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, the imposed sentences are unjustifiably lenient. The offenders—including three repeat offenders—coordinated the prostitution of vulnerable Hungarian women for more than a year.
Considering these factors, the appellate prosecutor’s office has requested the Court of Appeal to impose stricter sentences in light of the nature and manner of the crimes.
(ugyeszseg.hu)
Main picture: illustration.
