2 Swedes guilty of human trafficking

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines—A court here sentenced to life imprisonment two Swedes who were arrested during a raid on a cybersex den in 2009 where children were being lured to pose nude and perform sexual acts for an online audience.

In a decision dated May 6, but obtained by reporters only Wednesday, Judge Jeoffre Abecido convicted Bo Stefan Sederholm, 31, and Emil Andreas Solemo, 35, of trafficking in persons in violation of a 2003 law against human trafficking and sentenced them to life in prison.

Abecido, of the Regional Trial Court Branch 41 of Misamis Oriental, also ordered the two Swedes to pay a fine of P2 million each.

Filipino cohorts

In his decision, Abecido said the court “will not shirk from its duty to impose the most severe penalties against anybody, be he a foreign national or a citizen of this country, who tramples upon the dignity of a woman by taking advantage of her vulnerability.”

Three others, all Filipinos, were also found guilty of the same crime. Andrea Galdones Romero, Arvy Pablo Baylon and Aminoding Lomangcolob Rangaig were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each and ordered to pay a fine of P1 million each.

Three others, identified as Abdul Barry Usman Imam, Yusoph Mama Jr. and a third man, whose identity remains a mystery, were also sentenced in absentia.

Lalae Garcia, chair of the Tubaga Movement, an umbrella organization of women and children’s rights advocates, hailed the decision and branded it as a major victory in the campaign against sex predators.

“We are happy that the court delivered a sound and profound judgement based on the merits of the case and the evidence presented,” Garcia said.

Bishop Felixberto Calang, of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, called it a landmark decision “in favor of women and children and against consumerism and greed for profits.”

He said the case should serve as a guide for other courts handling similar cases.

Preying on children

The two Swedes and their Filipino cohorts were arrested on April 23, 2009 by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Northern Mindanao and the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) in an afternoon raid on a cybersex den in a three-story building in Barangay Kauswagan here.

During the raid, authorities rescued 17 female minors and seized a host of sex toys and gadgets.

The minors were being used as nude models in an elaborate cybersex operation serving foreigners.

According to one of the minors rescued, they were paid P15,000 a month in exchange for posing nude and performing sexual acts while chatting with clients using a webcam.

Portugal website

The foreigners beam live videos of the young girls through www.livejasmin.com, a pornographic site registered under Portuguese company Lalib Management and Investments, which gave its address as Rua Brigadeiro Oudinot, Edifício Oudinot, 3rd Floor-Room 317 P-9060-209 Funchal, Portugal.

The website, which charges its clients on a per minute basis, remained active in the Internet as of Wednesday.

The two Swedes and the three other convicts, who are currently detained at the Lumbia City Jail, will be transferred either to the Davao Penal Colony or to the National Penitentiary in Muntinlupa to serve their sentences, court sources said. JB Deveza, Inquirer Mindanao