Diplomatic pressure for jailed Briton
Updated on 04 May 2009
Samantha Orobator, the pregnant British woman who could face a firing squad in Laos, is still without a lawyer.
As international pressure grows about her detention, the Laotian government insists Samantha Orobator will get a fair trial for alleged drug smuggling.
But one Australian woman previously held in the notorious Phonthong prison tells Channel 4 News about the horrific treatment meted out to inmates.
Meanwhile, Samantha's mother is pleading for her release.
Jailed, pregnant and facing possible death, this British woman accused of smuggling drugs into Laos still has not been given a defence lawyer, even though her trial is about to begin.
Twenty-year-old Orobator, from south London, has been in jail since last August: a British diplomat is hoping to be allowed to visit her tomorrow.
Officials in the Southeast Asian country of Laos insisted she would be allowed a fair trial but one legal rights charity said Orobator was facing a show trial for her life.
Inside Phonthong prison
Australian couple Kay and Kerry Danes were held in the same prison as Samantha Orobator, back in 2000.
Earlier today, Kay spoke to Channel 4 News from Brisbane.
Samira Ahmed began by asking her what the conditions were like in the jail.
