Woman held captive by husband in Oman returned to Uzbekistan

An Uzbek citizen and her two children, who had been living in legal marriage with a foreign national in Oman and were held captive at home, have been returned to Uzbekistan. This was reported by *Dunyo*.

According to the report, the citizen I.S., who found herself in a difficult life situation in Oman, appealed to the Embassy of Uzbekistan for help in returning to the country with her two minor children.

The woman stated that she had been living in a legal marriage since 2019 with a man named Ali, who is of Iranian origin but holds no citizenship. They lived in the city of Al-Buraimi, Oman. I.S. gave birth to children in 2020 and 2022. However, due to the husband’s undocumented status and the absence of an official marriage contract, the children were unable to obtain birth certificates for years.

Furthermore, I.S. reported frequent domestic conflicts, violence by her husband towards the children, and that they had been confined to the house in Al-Buraimi. These conditions led her to seek assistance from the embassy.

Following a thorough investigation, on May 19 of this year, embassy staff visited the house where I.S. and her children were being held. With the assistance of diplomats, the mother and her two children were taken to Muscat and temporarily housed in a safe location.

The consular department of the embassy then worked with the relevant authorities in Oman to secure birth certificates and return documents for the children.

On June 18, the family was repatriated to Uzbekistan via Muscat International Airport.

It should be recalled that earlier, two women wanted by the National Central Bureau of Interpol in the Republic of Uzbekistan were also returned to Tashkent from Muscat. Both had been charged with fraud and human trafficking.