Phonthong prison, Laos
In August of last year a British woman, Samantha Orobator, 20, was arrested at Wattay airport in Laos. It is alleged by Laotian authorities that she was in possession of 680 grams of heroin.
The amount of heroin she is accused of possessing exceeds the statutory minimum for the death penalty in Laos.
Ms Orobator, who is five months pregnant, is presently incarcerated in Phonthong prison awaiting trial.
The prison is supposedly a women's facility. Questions have been raised by campaigners about how Ms Orobator could have become pregnant in jail. There has been speculation that she may have been a victim of sexual assault.
Samantha Orobator
Those who have been imprisoned in Phonthong describe the conditions as extremely harsh.
An Australian named Kay Danes who was accused of gem smuggling spent time in the facility. She said she was subjected to mock executions, waterboarding and other forms of torture.
An Australian named Kay Danes who was accused of gem smuggling spent time in the facility. She said she was subjected to mock executions, waterboarding and other forms of torture.
Ms Danes said the cells measure only 3x3 meters and inmates are locked up for most of the day. She described it as being like a sauna, with no running water and only floorboards to sleep on.
Photos of Phonthong prison beneath:
Ms Orobator is expected to go trial some time this week.
According to the British Rights Charity Reprieve, she hasn't been assigned a defence lawyer.
Reprieve lawyer Anna Morris said: "That has been our concern from the outset, that she has had no access to legal counsel before this week... We don't know that she is going to have any before any trial takes place and we are deeply concerned about the implications of that for her given her vulnerability, given her age and given her lack of familiarity with the system."
UK officials only learned of Samantha Orobator's arrest after she had been imprisoned in Phonthong prison for a number of months. Laos didn't bother informing the British, which is a breach of consular relations. The excuse they gave for not relaying the information was that they didn't have access to a fax machine.
It was only discovered that Ms Orobator was being held when Australian officials became privy to the information via another inmate being held in the facility.
Reprieve have described the trial as a farce - a show trial - and claim Laotian authorities wanted to get it over with before Ms Orobator could see a British lawyer.
If convicted she could face execution by firing squad.
British foreign office minister, Bill Rammell, said he intends to raise the case with the Laotian deputy prime minister when they meet in the UK on Thursday.
Related Guardian article here.
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