Pregnant UK Woman May Face Death Penalty in Laos

A lawyer from Reprieve, a UK legal organization that work on the human rights of prisoners, has been given permission to meet with Samantha Orobator, a woman from the UK who is imprisoned in Laos. Orobator is accused or drug smuggling and her trial in Laos is to begin on Monday. She was allegedly in possession of 1.5 lbs of heroin when she was arrested at Wattay airport in Laos last August. In Laos, anyone caught with more than 1lb of heroin faces a mandatory death sentence.

British authories did not learn of her detention until she had already been in jail for months. She became pregnant last December, while imprisoned.

Reprieve director Clive Stafford Smith said: "This whole process is a farce. The trial is just being put on as a show. They wanted to get it all over with before she was able to see a British lawyer."