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The mastermind of a notorious prostitution ring has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for trafficking hundreds of women into Dubai.
Anoush Martirosyan is vowing to appeal the Armenian court’s ruling after hurling abuse at a judge who sentenced her.
Martirosyan’s victims - mostly from Armenia and Russia - said they were lured to Dubai with the promise of work and lived in daily fear of a vicious henchman nicknamed “Ponytail Ali”.
Mourad Melikyan, a consul at the Armenian embassy in Abu Dhabi, last night welcomed the conviction and said it had been a “massive problem” that was now improving. “I am glad to see her caged after meeting the many young women we have had to help,” he told 7DAYS. He said UAE authorities had tried to stop the trade by banning visas for Armenian women below the age of 30. But the gang sent the women to Moscow where they were given false Russian passports.
Martirosyan’s three sisters were also jailed in Armenia after several women gave evidence of being lured to Dubai with the promise of a legitimate job, only to end up working as prostitutes.
Martirosyan denied human trafficking but admitted that she had brought hundreds of women to brothels in Dubai, saying she helped them by teaching them English and Arabic and warned them not to fall in love with clients.
“If they drank I warned them not to drink and lose their heads since Dubai was a different country with different rules. I also warned them not to fall in love and ruin themselves. I will bear my punishment for doing these good deeds,” she said.
However, one witness named Ani said she was lured to Dubai to work as a babysitter.
The next day Martirosyan told her she would have to work as a prostitute and told her to go to a hotel in Deira.
She recalled beatings for petty offences and said Martirosyan would line offenders against a wall and beat them with a shoe. Others women were beaten with iron bars.
Martirosyan’s case comes just a day after Dr Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Federal National Council Affairs, said tackling human trafficking was a top priority for the UAE authorities.
<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">This woman must have been operating independently, or 'outside the loop'. Otherwise there is no way she would be arrested, when there are hundreds of hookers on the streets at night - the police drive past them and don't business.</span></span>
Anoush Martirosyan is vowing to appeal the Armenian court’s ruling after hurling abuse at a judge who sentenced her.
Martirosyan’s victims - mostly from Armenia and Russia - said they were lured to Dubai with the promise of work and lived in daily fear of a vicious henchman nicknamed “Ponytail Ali”.
Mourad Melikyan, a consul at the Armenian embassy in Abu Dhabi, last night welcomed the conviction and said it had been a “massive problem” that was now improving. “I am glad to see her caged after meeting the many young women we have had to help,” he told 7DAYS. He said UAE authorities had tried to stop the trade by banning visas for Armenian women below the age of 30. But the gang sent the women to Moscow where they were given false Russian passports.
Martirosyan’s three sisters were also jailed in Armenia after several women gave evidence of being lured to Dubai with the promise of a legitimate job, only to end up working as prostitutes.
Martirosyan denied human trafficking but admitted that she had brought hundreds of women to brothels in Dubai, saying she helped them by teaching them English and Arabic and warned them not to fall in love with clients.
“If they drank I warned them not to drink and lose their heads since Dubai was a different country with different rules. I also warned them not to fall in love and ruin themselves. I will bear my punishment for doing these good deeds,” she said.
However, one witness named Ani said she was lured to Dubai to work as a babysitter.
The next day Martirosyan told her she would have to work as a prostitute and told her to go to a hotel in Deira.
She recalled beatings for petty offences and said Martirosyan would line offenders against a wall and beat them with a shoe. Others women were beaten with iron bars.
Martirosyan’s case comes just a day after Dr Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Federal National Council Affairs, said tackling human trafficking was a top priority for the UAE authorities.
<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">This woman must have been operating independently, or 'outside the loop'. Otherwise there is no way she would be arrested, when there are hundreds of hookers on the streets at night - the police drive past them and don't business.</span></span>
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