Dubai prostitute cleared of human trafficking

Appeals Court upholds acquittal of woman accused of human trafficking ¿ but also upholds her six-month jail term for prostitution.

DUBAI // The Appeals Court today upheld the acquittal of a woman accused of human trafficking - but also upheld her six-month prison sentence for prostitution.

The court found the 41-year-old Georgian KO not guilty of forcing the 30-year-old DY, from Turkmenistan, into prostitution, but agreed with the Criminal Court that she had sold her own body to various different men.

DY had claimed she was on holiday in 2010 when a driver took her from Dubai International Airport to the Georgian's flat, though it was not clear how the two knew each other.

She said that when she arrived the Georgian took her passport and said she would have to prostitute herself to pay back the visa fees.

When she arrived at a nightclub where she claimed she was supposed to advertise her services she instead jumped into a taxi and headed to the nearest police station.