France, July 22 -- Three people were jailed on Monday for human trafficking after subjecting migrants from Africa to long working days and then housing them in appalling conditions during the 2023 grape harvest in the Champagne region of north-eastern France.

The main defendant, the director of a wine services company from Kyrgyzstan, was also charged with concealed work, employing foreigners without authorisation and with non-existent or insufficient remuneration.

The court in Chalons-en-Champagne sentenced her to four years, two of which were suspended with a committal order.The presiding judge ordered the dissolution of her wine services company and fined a wine cooperative, which was also being prosecuted, 75,000 euros.

During the ...