Britain sentenced to 25 years in prison in Dubai: what is known about the student’s case.

According to The Sun: A law student from the UK, sentenced to 25 years in prison for drug-related crimes, is experiencing “horrific conditions” in a Dubai jail. However, three questions remain unanswered.

23-year-old Mia O’Brien was arrested last October after 50 grams of cocaine worth around £2,500 were found on her.

Mia O'Brien was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Dubai GoFundMe GoFundMe

After a one-day trial conducted in Arabic on July 25, Mia, originally from Huyton, is held in Al-Awir prison, referred to as the “Alcatraz of the Persian Gulf.”

Her mother, Danielle McKenna, believes her daughter is innocent, calling the verdict “an injustice” and stating that Mia has “never used drugs in her life.”

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The young student, who dreamed of becoming a lawyer, shares a dirty cell with six women and sleeps on a mattress on the floor.

“She just made a silly mistake by coming to visit a friend and her boyfriend in Dubai,” says Danielle.

“She cried on the phone, saying, 'Oh, mom, please forgive me.'

Where are the friend and the boyfriend she was with?

Mia was not alone when she was arrested by the police.

She was arrested along with her friend and her friend's boyfriend, and all three were charged with drug trafficking. However, only Mia's name is mentioned in public. Her mother claims that “others were involved,” but it is unclear whether they have been sentenced, released, or still remain in Dubai.

Why has Mia's case not been highlighted for so long?

Although her arrest occurred in October of last year, news of Mia’s suffering only emerged a few days ago when her mother launched a campaign on GoFundMe.

Danielle admitted they were “shocked and angry” when they learned about the drugs and struggled to publicly highlight the case.

Inside the “Dubai version of Alcatraz”

MIA O'BRIEN is being held in the central Al-Awir prison in Dubai.

This prison is used for both men and women, who are placed separately after passing through iron gates. Women make up one of four blocks within the massive prison, according to the UK government's website.

Grim stories from inmates who have previously been there paint a horrific picture of Al-Awir. In 2012, Carl Williams was imprisoned for a year after police found drugs in the trunk of his rental car.

He compared Al-Awir prison to the “Dubai version of Alcatraz” during his incarceration.

In his memoirs, he recounted prisoners being killed in violent clashes that guards did not stop. In his statement, he noted that his genitals were electrocuted during police interrogation.

“They pulled down my pants, spread my legs, and started electrocuting my genitals,” he stated in his testimony. “It was incredibly painful. I was terrified. I began to believe I would die in that room.”

Their lawyers also claimed that men were forced to sign documents in Arabic at gunpoint. Carl stated that Russian criminals govern the prisons and allegedly use HIV-infected individuals for rape and deliberately infect others as punishment.

At least four HIV-positive inmates in Al-Awir, according to other shocking reports from Human Rights Watch, were denied medical care for up to five months. British footballer Billy Goud also made similar accusations, claiming that inmates suffer torture and die from diseases. These claims were echoed in 2021 by 60-year-old Albert Douglas, who informed The Sun Online that inmates are subjected to rape, torture, and starvation by cruel guards.

The Dubai prison system and the government deny all these accusations.

The situation is further complicated when GoFundMe unexpectedly removed the fundraising campaign for “rules violations,” cutting off one of the family’s few chances for support.

A GoFundMe representative told The Sun: “It was removed because it violates Section 9 of our Terms of Use regarding prohibited behavior. Section 9 prohibits fundraising for legal defense regarding certain crimes.”

The campaign had a goal of £1,600 and raised just under £700 before its removal.

Who actually owned the drugs?

50 grams of cocaine is “a huge amount,” according to Mia's mother, found in her apartment in Dubai in “one large piece.” Prosecutors accused Mia of intent to supply, but she denied her guilt. She was also imposed a staggering fine of £100,000 by the court before she was sent to prison.

Her mother insists that her daughter simply “fell into this” and hopes she will be allowed to return to the UK.

Mia has never used drugs in her life and would never dream of selling cocaine, her mother believes.

Danielle is convinced that her daughter is innocent, calling Mia “a victim of unfair justice.”

Adding: “I absolutely do not think she was going to sell drugs or return them. It’s a large amount of drugs, but there are others involved, and she just fell into this.”

Al-Awir prison is known for numerous horrific allegations of violence, torture, and rape by former inmates Mia was arrested with two other individuals Brit Carl Williams compared Al-Awir prison to the “Dubai version of Alcatraz” during his incarceration Mia O'Brien, a Ukrainian law student, has found herself at the center of an international scandal due to her arrest and detention in Dubai. Her case raises important questions about legal norms, human rights, and justice in foreign legal systems. The situation in her life serves as a stark reminder of the risks young people may face while traveling and the importance of making informed choices within foreign legal frameworks.