Kazakh Woman Sentenced to 12 Years in Kyrgyzstan for Child Trafficking

A court in Kyrgyzstan has sentenced a Kazakh woman to 12 years in prison for her role in a child trafficking ring. The First District Court of Bishkek delivered the verdict on March 12, 2026, finding the woman and her accomplice, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, guilty of human trafficking.

The criminal case against the pair was initiated in 2024. According to the investigation, they organized a channel for the illegal removal of minors from Kyrgyzstan. The group's activities involved subjecting children to depraved acts described as immoral and cult-like rituals.

These acts included undressing the children with a focus on their intimate body parts, photographing them, and sending the images via social messengers to third parties residing outside Kyrgyzstan. Furthermore, the criminal group obtained full guardianship over two other minors from a Kyrgyz citizen identified as D.K., and committed similar acts against them.

The investigation established that the Kazakh citizen, identified as A.A., conspired with an Israeli citizen, A.B., to purchase three underage children from a Kyrgyz national named S.S. The transaction was conducted for separate monetary and other property-based rewards.

In addition to the 12-year sentence for the Kazakh woman, her accomplice from Kyrgyzstan received an 11-year prison term. The court also ruled for the confiscation of their property.