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follower of the child's crusade?
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An Act of War?
If the state of a foriegn power carries out the killing of a British citizen, a 20 year old woman; if this woman is raped in prison with state sponsorship, this is an act of war against the British people.
What is our government doing in relation to this abuse, this criminal attack on Britian?
This must not be tolerated.
We may not be a great power, but we are not a laughing stock on the world stage yet either. I am literally seething reading this article, and I call on a very heavy toll to be levied against the state of Laos (ie military intervention) if a full release, with at least £10 million in compensation for this woman, is not forthcoming in the next 24 hours. Any deviance from this course should be considered as an act of war against the United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland in my opinion. We are fghting in Afghanistan for far less in terms of our national dignity.
Quote:
A pregnant British woman is facing death by firing squad if she is convicted of drug smuggling in Laos.
Samantha Orobator, from south London, was arrested at Wattay Airport in Laos in August last year after allegedly being found in possession of 1.5lb (680g) of heroin.
The 20-year-old, who had been on holiday in Thailand, has been held since her arrest at the notorious Phonthong prison, where inmates have complained of being beaten and abused.
Orobator became pregnant in December and is due to give birth in early September.
Reprieve legal director Clive Stafford Smith said her trial had been brought forward after arrangements were made for her to see a lawyer for the first time.
He has called on the British Government to intervene on her behalf.
At a press conference in central London, he said: "It's absolutely no coincidence that yesterday the Laotians announced that they were moving her trial up probably by a year to next week.
"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."
He said she was "certainly not guilty" and had originally told police the drugs were not hers.
In Laos, people caught with more than 1lb (0.5kg) of heroin face a mandatory death sentence.
Mr Stafford Smith added: "We're dealing with a woman who has clearly become pregnant in prison. Nothing that happens in that prison is voluntary."
Ronke Oseni, 21, a psychology student at Kingston University, has known Orobator for 11 years. Orobator lived with her family before she left the country but Miss Oseni 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, 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.
"It's not in her character to take drugs, she has never taken drugs in her life. When we were at school together she never got in trouble."
Miss Oseni also said Orobator had led a troubled life and had made several suicide attempts in the past, adding: "She suffered from low self esteem because she suffered a lot of abuse by men, by family, by friends."
Labour MP Stephen Pound, vice chair of the all party group on the death penalty, said the situation "cannot be over-dramatised".
He said: "A young woman who is now pregnant, is in prison in the most inhumane circumstances, and is facing the death penalty by firing squad."
He said the conditions in the prison were horrific, with evidence of "no space, no light, no exercise, no diet, no food, no consideration of the needs of a woman carrying a baby".
Earlier, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are paying close attention to her welfare and are in discussion with the Laotian authorities about her case.
"We have visited Samantha every month and we have kept in close contact with the family."
She said Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Minister Bill Rammell will raise the issue when the Laotian foreign minister visits the UK next Thursday.
But Mr Stafford Smith said: "That's not much good. The trial will be over by then. We're calling on the Government to do everything in its power."
He said he was calling for the trial to be put back, for Reprieve lawyers and mental health professionals to be allowed into the prison, and for assurances that Orobator would be provided with a proper defence.
Orobator lived in both Camberwell and Peckham before she left, going first to Ireland where her mother Jane Orobator and three young sisters live.
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__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."
The Gospel of Thomas
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