An Israeli national was arrested at a Cyprus airport after being caught trying to transport four human embryos to Mexico.
The man was arrested at Ercan Airport in the Turkish-controlled part of the island on Tuesday, while preparing to board a flight to Mexico via Istanbul, Ynet reported. The embryos were being carried in four separate test tubes in a special “Life Parcel,” authorities said. The arrest came as part of a larger human smuggling bust. Two Turkish nationals were also arrested when the linked clinic in the city of northern Nicosia was raided, the clinic’s director and a doctor.
The three are being charged with attempting to remove human embryos from the island without the proper permits, the outlet reported. Further details about the case, such as why the embryos were being transported and to whom, were unclear.
Cases involving human embryos are particularly hard to prosecute, given the technology’s relatively recent development.
“This is a complex legal field that unfolds simultaneously before law enforcement authorities, health officials and various international mechanisms,” Nir Yaslovitzh, an attorney specializing in international criminal law, told Ynet. “In many cases, the central legal question is not only what was done, but how the procedure was arranged with the authorities and what regulatory framework applied.”
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He added that issues around genetic smuggling across international borders have spiked in recent years.
Adding to the case’s legal complexity is that it occurred in an entity recognized only by Turkey, which the rest of the world considers occupied territory. The self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is governed by Cypriot Turks, with extensive help from Turkey proper.