Mia O’Brien, a British university sudent slapped with a whole life sentence in Dubai, is reported to be inside a hellhole prison alleged to have previously carried out torture
A British student is facing life in a hellish prison dubbed “Dubai’s Alcatraz’ that has been accused of torturing inmates.
A one-day hearing in Dubai saw Mia O’Brien, 23, slapped with a whole life sentence after she was caught with 50 grams of the Class A drug in October, valued at around £2,500. Mia, a Liverpool University law student from the Merseyside city is now reported to be in Al-Awir prison, a facility which has had allegations of electrocution torture made against it.
Further allegations include withholding medicine from sick inmates. A report by the NGO Human Rights Watch said at least four patients who were HIV positive were denied medicine for up to five months.
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Previous British inmates have painted a worrying picture of life inside the jail and a report earlier this year said sexual abuse and rape was an everday occurrence. Karl Williams, imprisoned in 2012 when drugs were found in his hire car by police, called Al-Awir the “Dubai version of Alcatraz”.
He said he saw violent clashes in the jail, including ones where inmates were stabbed to death, while guards stood idly by. In a statement, he said police pulled his trousers down and electrocuted his testicles.
“It was unbelievably painful. I was so scared. I started to believe that I was going to die in that room,” he said. Karl claimed that Russian gangs were top dogs inside the prison wards and used prisoners who had HIV to deliberately infect others as a form of punishment.
Fellow Brit Billy Hood also said prisoners were tortured and sick inmates left to die. And Albert Douglas told The Sun that a man in a bunk below him in his cell had his private parts burned off by a guard.
He also said boys aged around 20 in his cell were hung upside down and beaten for fun. Further allegations include prisoners resorting to drinking toilet water amid inhumane conditions. The prison and Dubai’s government have always denied all of the claims.
Mia, who is living with six other inmates, is supposed to have a pillow, blanket and mattress, but the British Embassy has said it may take a while for them to be handed out. Blocks are cold at night with constant air conditioning. Visits from family members are supposed to occur every Wednesday, but can sometimes be cancelled last minute.
Some visitations can also be cut short. Prisoners can make multiple calls, but they need to be cleared with guards first. Calls can be blocked for what guards deem to be misbehaviour.
Mia’s mum Danielle McKenna revealed that the prison conditions are “horrendous” and that Mia has to “bang on a big door” if she needs anything. Danielle admits her daughter made a “very stupid mistake”.
Daniella believes her daughter is “innocent” and has been the victim of a “miscarriage of justice.” She has been in contact with Mia on the phone, but isn’t allowed to say much.
“Mia feels she has destroyed her life as she wanted to be a lawyer or solicitor, ” Danielle told the Daily Mail. “I speak to her but she can’t say too much on the phone. She’s just made a stupid mistake after going over to see a friend and her boyfriend in Dubai.”
According to her mum, Mia pleaded not guilty to intent to supply the cocaine. However, a judge handed her a life sentence after a one-day hearing. Daniella, 46, said: “The trial was all in Arabic and Mia was told of the sentence later by her lawyer.
“She is absolutely devastated by what has happened. Mia is being really strong but I know she is going through a living hell.”
The student has not paid the court’s fine, but is due to have an appeal in the next couple of weeks. Mia hopes she might get sentenced back to the UK after Ramadan. In the meantime, she is said to be “absolutely devastated” following the sentencing and is “going through a living hell”, according to her mum.
The university student wept on the phone and begged for forgiveness from her mum, who claimed she is “not a drug taker.” She previously set up a GoFundMe page to help cover her daughter’s legal fees, writing: “Mia has been given a life sentence in Dubai and she is now in central prison. As you can all probably imagine, as her mother I am absolutely devastated. I haven’t seen my daughter since last October.
“Mia is only 23 years old and has never done a bad thing in her life. This is a young girl, who went to university to do law, and unfortunately got mixed up in the wrong so-called friends and made a very stupid mistake and is now paying the price. “
The GoFundMe was later taken down after allegedly “breaching community rules”. A GoFundMe spokesperson told The Sun: “It was removed because it violates Term 9 of the Prohibited Conduct section in our Terms of Service. Term 9 prohibits raising funds on GoFundMe for the legal defence of certain alleged crimes.”
According to the UK Foreign Office, British visitors are explicitly warned not to flout the country’s laws, singling out drug offences in particular. On its travel advice for Dubai, the FCDO says: “There is zero tolerance for drugs-related offences. The penalties for trafficking, smuggling, using and possessing illegal drugs (including residual amounts) are severe.
“Sentences for drug trafficking can include the death penalty. Possession of even the smallest amount of illegal drugs, including cannabis, can lead to a minimum 3-month prison term or a fine of between 20,000 UAE dirham (£4,000) and 100,000 UAE dirham (£20,000).
“The Emirati authorities count the presence of drugs in the blood stream as possession. Some ‘herbal highs’ and products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are illegal in the UAE. Possessing, concealing or making transactions with money from drugs-related offences is illegal. You could get a prison sentence and a fine.
“UAE airports have excellent technology and security for detecting illegal items, including cannabis. This is also used to scan the baggage of transiting passengers. You can be arrested for carrying drugs, even residual amounts.”