Last Monday marked Ashley Oosthuizen’s 26th birthday — her fifth spent in a Thai prison.

George Herald reports that she travelled to Thailand in 2018 and was arrested in October 2020 at the restaurant where she worked.

She had signed for a package containing drugs, which she maintains she did not know about. The package was addressed to someone else, and she says she merely signed for it.

Initially sentenced to death for a category one drug-related offence, her sentence was later changed to life imprisonment. In 2022, it was reduced to 33 years. She has appealed and is still awaiting news on when Thailand’s High Court will hear her case.

No court date has been set. If she is not granted clemency, she will be 56 when released.

Ashley’s mother, Lynn Blignaut, who moved to Thailand in 2022, hosted a live Facebook broadcast on A voice for Ashley Oosthuizen on her daughter’s birthday, March 3. She was joined by a friend and translator, Adjarn Somwong Mailaiad.

They answered questions about Oosthuizen’s time in prison, shared birthday messages and stories, and sang Happy Birthday. People from across the world joined the broadcast, which had 161 reactions and 237 comments by last Monday afternoon.

“Ashley wasn’t able to watch the live broadcast, but we will show her when she is home. We believe in God’s divine timing,” says Blignaut.

She had permission to visit her daughter again on Wednesday. In 2023, she was allowed to visit Ashley in prison on her birthday.

In a letter to her mother before her birthday, Oosthuizen wrote that she had already received some gifts from friends in prison.

“We had a lovely meal today. Around 15 people came to eat together. Also, church was good. And [I] got some gifts already today too… underwear, a face cloth and face powder. That’s sweet of them,” Oosthuizen wrote.

Every year, people wear yellow to mark Oosthuizen’s birthday. “Yellow is the colour of hope and is also Ashley’s favourite colour,” says Blignaut. She has also launched a new YouTube channel, A Voice for Ashley.

In January, mother and daughter had their first physical contact in nearly six years when prison authorities allowed a visit without barriers.

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