Myanmar Court Hands Down Sentences in Case Linked to Death of Belarusian Vera Krautsova — Media

Reform.news · 8 October 2026, 22:32

https://reform.news/en/myanmar-court-hands-down-sentences-in-case-linked-to-death-of-belarusian-vera-krautsova-media/

A court in Yangon has sentenced five Myanmar nationals to 21 years in prison for human trafficking. The case is linked to 26-year-old Belarusian citizen Vera Krautsova, who was taken to Myanmar and ended up in a scam center, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) reports.

The verdict was handed down on October 1 by the Mingaladon District Court in Yangon. The defendants were found guilty under Sections 38(a) and 44 of Myanmar’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law.

According to DVB, arrest warrants have also been issued for three more Myanmar nationals and two Tajikistan nationals suspected of involvement in Krautsova’s case.

The Belarusian woman flew from Bangkok to Yangon on September 20, 2025. On October 4, she stopped contacting her family in Belarus. Media reports said she had been forced to participate in “romance scams” in Myanmar. The exact date of her death has not been established.

Krautsova’s relatives reportedly received messages from unknown individuals demanding a ransom of $500,000. They were later told that her body had been cremated and her organs sold.

In July 2025, Myanmar adopted a law to combat online fraud. It provides for penalties of up to life imprisonment or the death penalty for forced labor, torture and involvement in the activities of cyber scam centers.

In October 2025, it became known that 26-year-old Belarusian Vera Krautsova had died in Myanmar. She had traveled to Bangkok for work but ended up in a scam center in Myanmar.

Since July 8, a visa-free regime has been in effect between Belarus and Myanmar.