VZCZCXYZ0003
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNC #0553 1041201
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 141201Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY NICOSIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5854
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 4613
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS PRIORITY 3559
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KIEV PRIORITY 0111
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 0980

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000553 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2016 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV UP TU CY KCRM KWMN
SUBJECT: POST ASSISTS IN REPATRIATION OF UKRAINIAN 
TRAFFICKING VICTIM 
 
REF: 04 NICOSIA 2296 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Ronald L. Schlicher, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
¶1.  (C)  On April 13, Ukrainian Ambassador Borys Humeniuk 
telephoned Ambassador Schlicher about a 23-year old Ukrainian 
woman, Oxana Nahod, who had been trafficked to the northern 
part of Cyprus -- where she was reportedly being mistreated 
and forced to work against her will in a night club.  In a 
subsequent meeting with poloff, Ambassador Humeniuk said that 
Ukrainian security services in Kiev had reported that Nahod's 
life was in danger and that she was suicidal.  The security 
services had said that another five Ukrainian women with 
Nahod were also being held against their will, but Humeniuk 
was unable to provide additional information on these women. 
Citing GOC sensitivities over contact with Turkish Cypriot 
officials, Humeniuk requested U.S. assistance in locating and 
returning Nahod from the "TRNC," where she had reportedly 
been taken after arriving at Larnaca airport in the south. 
Shortly after our meeting with the Ukrainians here, Embassy 
Kiev contacted us to relay similar concerns they had heard 
about Nahod from the GOU. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Post facilitated contact between the Ukrainian 
embassy and the Turkish Cypriot immigration police, who found 
Nahod at the "Crazy Girls" nightclub and immediately removed 
her to accommodation at Ercan airport.  The police told 
Embassy Nicosia that Nahod had signed a statement saying "she 
was fine," but that she wanted to go home because her mother 
had heart trouble.  They also claimed that Nahod had said she 
planned to return to work in Cyprus as soon as her mother had 
recovered.  A representative from the Ukrainian Embassy 
visited her at the airport and later reported that although 
she was frightened, Nahod was unharmed.  Nahod reportedly 
told the Ukrainian diplomat that despite information to the 
contrary, she had entered Cyprus through Ercan airport in the 
north.  She wanted to leave because she was frightened after 
witnessing a beating of her fellow "artistes" at the 
nightclub.  She had no plans to return to Cyprus. 
 
¶3.  (C) The Turkish Cypriot police arranged for her 
deportation to Ukraine through Istanbul, and Turkish Cypriot 
officials report that she left the "TRNC" on a Turkish 
Airways flight in the early hours of April 14. 
 
¶4.  (C) COMMENT:  This is the first time Post has seen the 
Ukrainian embassy take an active interest in a trafficking 
case, despite the fact that a majority of identified 
trafficking victims in Cyprus are Ukrainian.  Not more than 
two months ago, Ambassador Humeniuk reportedly told one of 
our TIP contacts that trafficking victims were "not his 
problem" since they "knew what they were getting into" when 
they came to Cyprus.  That attitude has been reflected in his 
embassy's actions; until now, the "diplomatic working group" 
we formed last year to cooperate on TIP matters with local 
Ukrainian, Russian and Romanian representatives has been 
largely inactive.  We are guardedly optimistic that this 
incident may herald a more serious engagement on the part of 
Ukrainian diplomats here.  For their part, the Turkish 
Cypriot police appear to have been very responsive to the 
Ukrainian request for assistance in this case -- as they have 
in previous cases when we have approached them on behalf of 
TIP victims (reftel).  When we spoke to "President" Talat's 
private secretary on the matter, he immediately offered "any 
help you need."  Although the north has a long way to go in 
combating its significant TIP problem, their speedy action in 
this case is encouraging.  END COMMENT. 
SCHLICHER