A French court on Monday jailed three people for human trafficking in the champagne industry, exploiting seasonal workers and housing them in appalling conditions...

A lawyer for the victims – more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal – said the court had made a "historic" decision.

The victims, who said they had been treated "like slaves", also praised the ruling.

"The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair," said Amadou Diallo, a 39-year-old from Senegal...

All three were found guilty of human trafficking – defined under French law as "recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them," by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits.

The Anavim director was also found guilty of crimes including concealing employment of workers.

The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a 75,000-euro ($87,000) fine.

The court ordered the three guilty to pay 4,000 euros each to each victim.

A lawyer for the Anavim director called the ruling "unfair" and said there would be an appeal...