Uzbek Woman Sentenced For Human Trafficking

An Uzbek woman has been sentenced to 14 1/2 years in prison for human trafficking.

Uzbek Interior Ministry officials said that Khursand Akhadova was found guilty of leading a criminal group involved in trafficking women from Central Asia to the United Arab Emirates and Thailand for forced prostitution.

The court in Tashkent also ruled that all Akhadova's possessions, estimated at almost $600,000, will be confiscated.

Investigators say they found Akhadova had four forged passports from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.

Akhadova, 51, was added to Interpol's wanted list in 2003.

She was arrested in Thailand and extradited to Uzbekistan last year.

Based on reporting by kant.kg, ca-news.org, and Interfax