Pregnant Briton sentenced to life imprisonment by Laos court
June 4, 2009
www.fco.gov.uk
Samantha Orobator, the 20-year-old pregnant Briton imprisoned in Laos on drugs smuggling charges and waiting to hear her fate, was convicting of heroin smuggling and sentenced to life in prison by a court on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the British Embassy reported that the sentence was announced at the end of a one-day hearing conducted in the Laotian capital, Vientiane.
In Laos, trafficking in heroin is punishable by death, but the execution of pregnant women is not allowed under the country’s laws. It is possible that she will be extradited to the UK to serve her sentence in a British prison.
Orobator became pregnant in a women-only prison, which attracted media attention around the world.
Officials in Laos have said that she may have artificially inseminated herself to avoid execution.
She arrived in court escorted by women guards, but was not handcuffed.
Orobator’s mother attended the proceedings and appeared distressed when she left the court after the sentencing. Orobator herself appeared calm.
Police claim that they found 68 capsules of heroin, weighing a total of 1.5lbs, in her possession when she was arrested at the Vientiane airport, preparing to board a flight to Australia. According to Reprieve, a legal charity based in the UK, the drugs were found in Orobator’s luggage.
For more information on this article please visit news.scotsman.com.
www.fco.gov.uk
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