political prisoner

But she told the Today programme that she was prepared to die if that was what it took to get her son Alaa Abdel Fattah - Egypt's most prominent political prisoner - out of jail in Cairo.

For some, the 31-month jail term imposed for inciting race hate was "tyrannical", while one commentator said Connolly was a "hostage of the British state", and another that she was "clearly a political prisoner".

Dubai is ruled as an absolute monarchy, with a hereditary royal family at the head of government, and was found by Amnesty international to jail political prisoners.

It was part of a protest in which they sought to be recognised as political prisoners during Northern Ireland's violent conflict known as the Troubles.

The Venezuelan government argues that it has no political prisoners - a claim rejected by rights groups.