This British Woman Has Been Sentenced to Prison for LIFE in Dubai, and Every Effort Must Be Made to Get Her Back

I've watched more than my fair share of Locked Up Abroad. Including some where some foreign government has literally locked up a broad. 

And the one common thread through every episode is the complete lack of accountability from the interviewees. Not once, in every episode I've watched, have I ever heard the incarcerated person say, "I knew the risks I was taking. I went into a sovereign nation, understood their customs and the punishment for violating them, but decided I above their petty laws and there would be no consequences for my actions. This is all on me and I take full responsibility." Not one. They're always the hero - and the victim - of their own stories. 

But sometimes you have to have a little sympathy anyway. Take this tragic case of a young British woman who's loving mother is throwing herself at the mercy of a foreign government, and the world: 

Source -  A young British woman has been jailed for life in Dubai, her family revealed tonight.

Mia O'Brien, 23, from Huyton, Liverpool, 'made a very stupid mistake', according to her mother, who has launched a heartfelt plea on a fundraising site for help with travel and legal fees.

'Mia has been given a life sentence over in Dubai and she is now in central prison,' her mother Danielle McKenna, 46, wrote in the post. …

'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. …

Danielle told the Daily Mail: 'She's going through it at the minute. She's just been transferred to another prison after getting a life sentence. …

It's not known what crime Ms McKenna has been convicted of, but life sentences in the Emirates can be given in cases of drug trafficking, depending on the circumstances and the amount of drugs.

Other crimes attracting life terms – which in Dubai is usually around 15 years – include serious violence and terrorism.

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office starkly warns visitors to Dubai on its website: 'There is zero tolerance for drugs-related offences.

'The penalties for trafficking, smuggling, using and possessing illegal drugs (including residual amounts) are severe.'

It would be unethical to speculate as to what exactly Mia O'Brien has been convicted of. But I'm tempted to rule out "serious violence and terrorism." Not to judge a book by its cover or a 23 year old Brit by her appearance, but she doesn't strike me as the Improvised Explosive Device-making type. Leading some to speculate it's a drug-related offense. The kind that would be considered a misdemeanor or no crime at all in our country or hers:

… misguided friends who downplayed the risks, she unwittingly carried the item in her luggage, leading to her arrest at the airport and a swift conviction for drug possession. This impulsive oversight, described by her heartbroken mother as a "very stupid mistake," resulted in a life sentence, which in the UAE equates to 25 years of imprisonment, transforming her bright future into a nightmare of isolation in Dubai's central prison amid harsh conditions and emotional turmoil. 

To fight for Mia's release, her family has launched urgent fundraising campaigns to cover soaring legal fees and enable expert lawyers to file an appeal, challenging the severity of the sentence in Dubai's courts while highlighting her lack of intent and clean background. Simultaneously, they are urging diplomatic intervention from the UK Foreign Office to negotiate with UAE authorities for a potential pardon or prisoner transfer, coupled with public awareness drives to garner international support and pressure for mercy, offering a lifeline in what feels like an insurmountable battle against rigid justice. 

Regardless, if ever there was a time for diplomacy, it is now. Yes, Dubai is a sovereign nation entitled to enact whatever laws they deem fit to live under, in accordance with basic human rights. But it is also a modern country. With an active role on the world stage. Doing a lot of business with the West, including in pro golf and all its sponsors. It's not some isolated backwater. Meaning, these are people we can deal with. 

So I say we make every effort we can to get Mia released. Like we've done before with other young women who may or may not have run afoul of some other country's drug laws:

Sure, she might not have a mid-range jumper like Brittney Griner. But Britain needs former university law students with questionable friends, too. Maybe the UK doesn't  have the Dubai equivalent of the weapons dealer that was immortalized in a Nick Cage film to trade for her release. But we have to have something they want. I say Great Britain and the US leave no stone unturned until this particular Locked Up Abroad subject is back home where she belongs. Her country is better with her in it. Free Mia O'Brien! Free Mia O'Brien!