EIGHT activists invited to attend a human rights gathering in Ireland this week have been barred from travelling or are being held in prison in their home countries.

The Government today welcomed the release of a Sudanese human rights worker who was arrested hours before he was due to fly to Ireland to receive an award for his work.

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese paid tribute to a human rights champion at a reception in Dublin yesterday - as he languished in a Sudan prison after being arrested on his way to Ireland.

A Sudanese human rights worker was arrested hours before he was due to fly to Ireland to receive an award from President Mary McAleese, it emerged today.