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