Death penalty fears for pregnant Briton in Laos prison on drugs charges

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 2:58 PM on 02nd May 2009

Samantha Orobator

On trial: Pregnant Briton Samantha Orobator, 20, could be put to death if she is found guilty of drugs charges at a 'hastily arranged' hearing next week

The Foreign Office today said it was working to ensure lawyers have access to a pregnant Briton who faces death by firing squad in Laos, after legal campaigners said British authorities were not acting quickly enough.

Samantha Orobator, 20, faces execution if she is found guilty at a 'hastily arranged' trial in Laos next week, a legal charity said today.

She was arrested at Wattay Airport in Laos in August last year allegedly in possession of 600g heroin after a holiday in Thailand and the Netherlands.

Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell said: 'We are also providing consular assistance to Samantha, in particular to help ensure that she has good legal representation.

'We are paying close attention to her welfare and are in regular contact with the Laotian authorities about her case.'

Rammell said British embassy officials have visited her six times since her arrest and Australian embassy officials have also visited her 10 times.

There is no British embassy in Laos and the nearest is in Thailand.

Mr Rammell said he will be raising the case with the Laotian deputy prime minister when they meet in the UK on Thursday.

But Reprieve director Clive Stafford Smith said: 'That's not much good. The trial will be over by then.'

He said her trial had been brought forward by a year in an apparent attempt to stop her seeing a lawyer.

The decision to move the trial was announced after arrangements were made for Orobator to see a lawyer on Tuesday.

'It's pretty shocking that they would do that apparently to avoid her seeing a British lawyer before she has to go to trial,' Mr Stafford Smith said

'The notion that no lawyer should be appointed to defend her is outrageous.'

He called for the Government to immediately do everything in its power to have the trial put back.

And he questioned how Orobator, who is due to give birth in September, could have become pregnant while in jail.

She has been held since her arrest at the notorious Phonthong prison, where inmates have complained of being beaten and abused.

Ronke Oseni, 21, a psychology student at Kingston University, said she only found out about her friend's situation on Wednesday.

She said: 'There is no-one there to visit her, no-one to talk to, and she doesn't speak the language.

'I'm really scared for her. I can't even imagine what she's going through.

'The punishment does not fit the crime. They want to shoot her but what about the baby?

She said her friend had planned to become a medical doctor and was a good student who was not involved in drugs.

Miss Orobator, who was born in Nigeria but has lived in South London since she was eight years old and is a British citizen, became pregnant in the prison in December.

She has not spoken to a lawyer since her arrest and campaigners for her release say they do not know the circumstances of her pregnancy.

Reprieve claims Miss Orobator's trial next week has been arranged at short notice making it impossible for a lawyer to prepare an adequate defence.

If she is convicted she faces death by firing squad.

A spokesman for Reprieve said: 'Samantha is severely distressed, and we have grave concerns for her health and that of her unborn child.

'Samantha was arrested in Laos with 0.6kg of heroin. This is a comparatively small amount, but exceeds the statutory minimum for the death penalty in Laos.

'There is no evidence that she was anything more than a mule.'

It is believed she was returning to the UK from Thailand via Laos when she was arrested at the airport, although Reprieve has been unable to confirm this. She had also visited Holland.

Mr Stafford Smith said the Laotian government's 'excuse' for not informing the UK authorities was apparently that it did not have a fax machine.

The FCO found out "by coincidence" when the Australians passed on information from another inmate in Phonthong prison.

He said British representatives are only allowed to visit her for 20 minutes once a month with a guard present.

In the prison, cells measuring four square metres are used to house up to six prisoners.

The daily ration reportedly consists of two bowls of pig fat water soup and 18oz (500g) of sticky rice, and most prisoners rely on their families to deliver food.

Other prisoners have reported incidents of abuse and torture, with some inmates having their genitals burnt.

Since 2003 at least 39 people have been sentenced to death in the east Asian country

She was arrested at Wattay Airport in Laos in August last year allegedly in possession of 600g heroin after a holiday in Thailand and the Netherlands...
'Samantha was arrested in Laos with 0.6kg of heroin. This is a comparatively small amount, but exceeds the statutory minimum for the death penalty in Laos.
'There is no evidence that she was anything more than a mule.', but exceeds the statuatory minimum for the death penalty in Laos.

Aardvark wrote:Regardless of what you think of drugs or the people who traffic them, everyone deserves to be properly represented in a court of Law. The fact that this Girl was imprisoned and her Govt not informed is a crime under International Law. If indeed she was impregnated while in custody this also is a crime under international Law, and the Govt of Laos has a lot to answer for. And for those of you who just accept her guilt on the basis of a Govt statement, shame on you there is enough evidence from around the World of people being killed in the name of Justice only to be found innocent when its far too late. To any of you who have Children of your own I hope one of them never Fcuks up and is left to be judged by you or people like you

seymourbutts wrote:

Aardvark wrote:Regardless of what you think of drugs or the people who traffic them, everyone deserves to be properly represented in a court of Law. The fact that this Girl was imprisoned and her Govt not informed is a crime under International Law. If indeed she was impregnated while in custody this also is a crime under international Law, and the Govt of Laos has a lot to answer for. And for those of you who just accept her guilt on the basis of a Govt statement, shame on you there is enough evidence from around the World of people being killed in the name of Justice only to be found innocent when its far too late. To any of you who have Children of your own I hope one of them never Fcuks up and is left to be judged by you or people like you

I just hope any of my children never get given or sold the sh1t she was trying to smuggle!!! She doesnt give a feck about the consequences of her actions so i dont give a feck about her pc rights.... Tell that to parents who have lost kids through scum like this!!!! The quicker she is tried and found guilty under laos law the better.... over and done.... Nobody moaned when taxin was doing the same!!!! except they never had the luxury of going to jail and getting a trial first... They were shot on the spot!!!! She is evil, whatever innocence she professes, she is evil and a lot of kids could be exposed to her trade and a lot of old grannies will get mugged topay for it etc etc etc
How is her being impregnated a crime under international law???? is it breaking an international law to have sex in prison???? her govt have been informed and rightly are letting the laos govt deal with it...Only people trying to help her are the pc brigade!!!!! "shes innocent because she said they were not her drugs" lets have an international investigation"!!!!!! Bullsh1t!!!! if she opened her bag in lets say LOndon and found the heroin would she a> hand it in to the nearest police station as it wasnt hers? or B. Make a shed load of money for delivering the stuff to her contacts???? mmmm I wonder!!!!!

Do you have any idea how much 600gms of heroin costs???/ a sh1t load of money for sure!!! i would agree that it probably isnt hers she is a mule, however she was caught with it!! Thats breaking international law!!! And in loas it carries a death sentence. Maybe Laos dont have the pristine pc justice system we have but it must be respected in Laos... She is not on trial in London!!!She has probably been followed for a long time and it was decided to grab her in Laos !!!