political crime; political offence
Refers to a crime committed for political reasons or against the state, such as treason, sedition, or electoral fraud.
He was arrested for a political crime.
In that country, penalties for political crimes are severe.
政治犯罪 explicitly denotes the political crime itself, while 政治犯 can refer either to that crime or to the person accused of it.
Compound of 政治 (politics) and 犯罪 (crime). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is a straightforward modern combination.