The family of a British woman detained in Azerbaijan took their protest to Downing Street on Tuesday.

Mother-of-two Almas Guliyeva, 46, of Cricklewood Lane, Childs Hill, is being held in the capital Baku after travelling there for her uncle's funeral, in her first visit to the country since leaving for good in 1997.

She was arrested for allegedly carrying a pistol in her luggage, but her family says her detention has all the hallmarks of a politically motivated arrest.

Almas's husband, Ilgar Gouliev, is the nephew of Rasul Gouliev, the US-based exiled head of the Azerbaijan Democrat Party, the country's main opposition, who unsuccessfully challenged the former leader in the presidential elections.

Almas's eldest son Ilkin Guliyev, 19, believes the pistol was planted in his mother's suitcase after officials took it out of her sight saying they needed to search it.

"This has happened before," Ilkin added. "My uncle Elbrus was in Baku and a pistol was planted in his car.

"He was arrested in 2001 and jailed for 18 months and was tortured for a false statement."

The family handed in a petition signed by more than 300 people to Prime Minister Tony Blair, to try to shame the Azeri government into releasing her.

Ilkin said the police had tried to take her from the hospital where she is being treated for a heart attack after hearing she would be charged.

"I want to make sure that there is enough awareness in the British public to hopefully embarrass them into releasing her," he said.

"If we take a stand here it will have a big impact over there the government is ruthless, it's a dictatorship."

Mrs Guliyeva, who also has a nine-year-old son, Vugar, was stopped at the airport before boarding a plane to London last Friday and was told security staff had found a gun in her luggage.

The family moved to London in 1997, and was granted political asylum in 2002 and British citizenship last year.

To sign the online petition or find out more about Mrs Guliyeva, visit vugulya.sayt.ws