Sakharov

They were travelling to Strasbourg to be presented with the EU's Sakharov Prize - which has been awarded posthumously to Ms Amini.

The Sakharov Prize goes further, sending a strong message of solidarity.

Sakharov, who died in 1989, was a key figure in developing the Soviet Union’s hydrogen bomb program but later become renowned for his activism in promoting human rights and freedom of conscience.

And in January, the U.S.-based Sakharov Foundation was designated an "undesirable organisation" - an even blacker mark than "foreign agent".

And Carter publicly supported Russian dissidents, including pro-democracy activist Andrei Sakharov, who were fighting an ideological war against socialist leaders.