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Samantha Orobator is a 20 year-old Nigerian-born British woman who was arrested last August on suspicion of trafficking heroin in Laos. If found guilty, she could face execution by a firing squad. It took months for British officials to learn that she was in jail and currently, the prison has not allowed her lawyer to visit her.
Laos is known for its harsh anti-drug laws and unlike other countries, there is no difference in the severity of punishment based on the type of drugs. If one is found with a pound of marijuana, they would receive the same punishment as if they had a pound of heroin. (Edit: I've updated the above link. Sorry!)
There have been numerous cases of travelers who have been arrested in neighbouring countries and have received severe punishments for trafficking drugs. Currently, two Canadians have been sitting in an Indonesian jail for almost four months for allegedly possessing and using 3.6 grams of pot.
So why is this case so different? In January, the imprisoned Orobator told her mother that she is pregnant. But luckily for her, on Tuesday the Indonesian government announced that they will not execute a pregnant woman. But what happens if she is convicted after her September due date?
And how exactly did she conceive while in prison? What About Our Daughters wonder the truth will ever get out.
How exactly do you become impregnated in a women’s prison? And how exactly does a 20 year old get her hands on 1.5 pounds or heroin? We don’t know the facts of this case, however, there is many a federal prison bed filled by a Black woman who got involved in the drug trade because of “love”. Paging Kimba Smith. Paging Kimba Smith!
Huffington Post reports that officials say that she told a doctor that she was impregnated before she landed in jail, by her boyfriend. but she has been imprisoned since August. And due in September. Do the math.
Melissa McEwan from Shakespeare's Sister was perturbed at the lack of national media coverage:
Despite all that, this story has received almost no attention whatsoever in the US media; USA Today, which is possibly the only US news org besides CNN and HuffPo who's addressed it at all, merely linked to the Telegraph's coverage.
Since when does a Western woman with no history of drug involvement who has nonetheless been arrested and detained as an alleged drug mule, was quite likely raped and forcibly impregnated while being held, and faces a kangaroo court trial not warrant news coverage? I dare anyone to tell me it has nothing to do with the fact that Samantha Orobator is black.
Some people are not so sympathetic. Here's a comment from MomLogic:
How much you wanna bet she was sleeping with whatever she could to get pregnant in there, and probably at the suggestion of a legal advisor trying to spare her life and drum up some sympathy with a baby, and now putting a spin on it as a rape. Uhhhh huh, so at 20 years old she can find herself subject to exploitation in a prison, yet she’s completely innocent to her situation? I think not. Judging by the answers her mom gave, this girl sounds like a skeezy, manipulative liar whose only actions are meant to serve her. She knew the crime, she should do the time. Baby or not, I think she still deserves a punishment, whether or not that be death is not up to my discretion. But if death is the penalty they truly want to give her, it doesn’t be reduced just because she had a baby. Honestly, it’s not like the thing was conceived in love, or she’s got a great career/life/moral fiber that she’ll be able to raise a child with. This girl is pretty pathetic if you ask me. She wanted to get preggers in prison, I’d bet on it.
For more information on this case,check out the Facebook page for Samantha. You can also head over to Reprieve, the UK human rights organization that is working as Samantha's legal counsel.
