Beorn
05-02-2009, 01:52 AM
Pregnant Briton may face firing squad over Laos drugs charge
A pregnant British woman is facing trial and possibly the death penalty in Laos (http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/laos) next week after being arrested on drug trafficking charges. The woman's MP, Harriet Harman (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/harrietharman), the leader of the House of Commons, has made representations on her behalf and the Foreign Office has been urged to intervene.Samantha Orobator, 20, was arrested at Wattay airport, Vientiane, in August last year, in possession of 0.6kg (about one and a half pounds) of heroin. According to the human rights group, Reprieve, she has not had access to a lawyer and the British government only became aware of her detention several months after her arrest.
"She has been held in the notoriously abusive Phonthong prison, where she became pregnant :eek: in early December," said Reprieve. "There are many reports of abuse and several deaths, including that of a British national last year. Conditions in the prison remain harsh and the diet is dangerously inadequate. Samantha is severely distressed, and Reprieve has grave concerns for her health and that of her unborn child."
If convicted next week, Orobator faces execution by firing squad in a country where 39 people have received the death penalty in the last five years. Clive Stafford Smith, of Reprieve, has called on the British government to make urgent representations on behalf of Orobator.
Born in Nigeria in 1988, Orobator moved to the UK when she was eight years old and was raised by an aunt in south London. Her uncle, who was described as her father figure, was killed in Nigeria and the family were later given asylum status. Her mother now lives in Dublin with her three younger siblings and her father in Lagos.
Described as a "bright and friendly" pupil by her former teachers, she was in a number of abusive relationships in her teens. She was hospitalised on one occasion in 2005 after being beaten by a violent boyfriend. She has attempted to commit suicide on several occasions.
In July last year, she said she was going to the Netherlands for a holiday. From there she went to Thailand before travelling on to Laos. The amount of heroin she was caught with exceeds the statutory minimum for the death penalty, which was adopted for drug trafficking offences in Laos in 2000. There is no evidence that she was anything more than a mule, according to Reprieve, which says that her friends are adamant that she was not a drug user. She had no prior convictions in the UK.
It would appear that Orobator became pregnant in December although she is in an all-female prison. It is not clear whether or not the pregnancy was voluntary, according to Reprieve, which believes that she is not receiving proper ante-natal care. There are fears that she may suffer a miscarriage, of which she has a past record.
The Foreign Office confirmed that Orobator had been detained and was facing the death penalty. "The British government is opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances," it said. "We are providing consular assistance in particular to help ensure that she has good legal representation. We are paying close attention to her welfare and are in discussion with the Laotian authorities about her case."
The Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell will raise the matter when the Laotian foreign minister visits the UK next week, but there are concerns that the trial may already have taken place by then. Harman's office confirmed that she had contacted the Foreign Office and asked it to take urgent action.
"It's absolutely no coincidence that yesterday the Laotians announced that they were moving her trial up probably by a year to next week," said Stafford Smith. "It's pretty shocking that they would do that, apparently to avoid her seeing a British lawyer, before she has to go to trial. The notion that no lawyer should be appointed to defend her is outrageous."
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/5/1/1241208870446/Samantha-Orobator-trial-001.jpg
Source (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/01/drugs-heroin-laos-death-smuggling)
A pregnant British woman is facing trial and possibly the death penalty in Laos (http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/laos) next week after being arrested on drug trafficking charges. The woman's MP, Harriet Harman (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/harrietharman), the leader of the House of Commons, has made representations on her behalf and the Foreign Office has been urged to intervene.Samantha Orobator, 20, was arrested at Wattay airport, Vientiane, in August last year, in possession of 0.6kg (about one and a half pounds) of heroin. According to the human rights group, Reprieve, she has not had access to a lawyer and the British government only became aware of her detention several months after her arrest.
"She has been held in the notoriously abusive Phonthong prison, where she became pregnant :eek: in early December," said Reprieve. "There are many reports of abuse and several deaths, including that of a British national last year. Conditions in the prison remain harsh and the diet is dangerously inadequate. Samantha is severely distressed, and Reprieve has grave concerns for her health and that of her unborn child."
If convicted next week, Orobator faces execution by firing squad in a country where 39 people have received the death penalty in the last five years. Clive Stafford Smith, of Reprieve, has called on the British government to make urgent representations on behalf of Orobator.
Born in Nigeria in 1988, Orobator moved to the UK when she was eight years old and was raised by an aunt in south London. Her uncle, who was described as her father figure, was killed in Nigeria and the family were later given asylum status. Her mother now lives in Dublin with her three younger siblings and her father in Lagos.
Described as a "bright and friendly" pupil by her former teachers, she was in a number of abusive relationships in her teens. She was hospitalised on one occasion in 2005 after being beaten by a violent boyfriend. She has attempted to commit suicide on several occasions.
In July last year, she said she was going to the Netherlands for a holiday. From there she went to Thailand before travelling on to Laos. The amount of heroin she was caught with exceeds the statutory minimum for the death penalty, which was adopted for drug trafficking offences in Laos in 2000. There is no evidence that she was anything more than a mule, according to Reprieve, which says that her friends are adamant that she was not a drug user. She had no prior convictions in the UK.
It would appear that Orobator became pregnant in December although she is in an all-female prison. It is not clear whether or not the pregnancy was voluntary, according to Reprieve, which believes that she is not receiving proper ante-natal care. There are fears that she may suffer a miscarriage, of which she has a past record.
The Foreign Office confirmed that Orobator had been detained and was facing the death penalty. "The British government is opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances," it said. "We are providing consular assistance in particular to help ensure that she has good legal representation. We are paying close attention to her welfare and are in discussion with the Laotian authorities about her case."
The Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell will raise the matter when the Laotian foreign minister visits the UK next week, but there are concerns that the trial may already have taken place by then. Harman's office confirmed that she had contacted the Foreign Office and asked it to take urgent action.
"It's absolutely no coincidence that yesterday the Laotians announced that they were moving her trial up probably by a year to next week," said Stafford Smith. "It's pretty shocking that they would do that, apparently to avoid her seeing a British lawyer, before she has to go to trial. The notion that no lawyer should be appointed to defend her is outrageous."
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/5/1/1241208870446/Samantha-Orobator-trial-001.jpg
Source (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/01/drugs-heroin-laos-death-smuggling)