Shabana Mahmood urged to grant visa to former Weather Underground activist

Home Office refused entry to Judith Clark, 77, invited by RSC to speak about restorative justice after her time in prison

Human rights activists and celebrities including the lawyer Helena Kennedy, the actor Harriet Walter and the theatre director Phyllida Lloyd have urged the Home Office to overturn its decision to refuse a visa to a former member of the radical US group the Weather Underground, saying her decades of rehabilitation should count in her favour.

Judith Clark, 77, was the inspiration for Walter's portrayal of prisoners in the Donmar Warehouse all-female Shakespeare trilogy, including Brutus in Julius Caesar and Prospero in The Tempest.