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Finland charges mother with trafficking children to Islamic State-controlled areas of Syria

A US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighter stands guard at the al-Hol camp in Hasakeh province, 8 May, 2024
A US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighter stands guard at the al-Hol camp in Hasakeh province, 8 May, 2024 Copyright  AP Photo
Copyright AP Photo
By Gavin Blackburn
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The woman, in her 40s and now residing in Finland, first brought her children to Syria in 2014, according to a preliminary police investigation.

A Finnish-Russian woman has been charged with trafficking her children to parts of Syria then controlled by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group, Finnish prosecutors said on Thursday.

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The woman has been charged with two counts of aggravated human trafficking for the alleged crimes, spanning 2014-2024, Finland's National Prosecution Authority said.

She denies the charges.

The woman, in her 40s and now residing in Finland, first brought her children to Syria in 2014, according to a preliminary police investigation.

The family was later taken to the Al-Hol camp in northeast Syria.

Family members of suspected IS fighters wait to be transferred from the al-Hol camp in Hasakeh province, 8 May, 2024
Family members of suspected IS fighters wait to be transferred from the al-Hol camp in Hasakeh province, 8 May, 2024 AP Photo

The children had been subjected to a life in which their "rights to a safe upbringing could not be met," Detective Chief Inspector Jan Aarnisalo said when the investigation was completed last year.

By the end of 2021, the woman and one of the children had returned to Finland. The second child came back later.

Both of the children are now adults, though their exact ages were not specified.

According to the Finnish prosecution authority, the charges had been filed with the Eastern Uusimaa District Court.

Additional sources • AFP

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