In good times and in bad, the ladies of the Dictators' Wives Club put up with a lot: corruption, political uprisings, and often other wives.
Some, like Rwandan first lady Jeannette Kagame, use their position to advocate for charitable causes. Others, like the president of Syria's wife, Mrs. Asma al-Assad, are pros at looking the other way and smiling for official Instagram photos.
For this list, we defined a dictator as a near-absolute ruler known for human-rights abuses, restrictions on freedom of the press, and oppression of opposition.
(1) President of Angola Mr Jose Eduardo dos Santos and his wife Mrs. Ana Paula dos Santos attend the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group H match between Belgium and Russia at Maracana on June 22, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(2) Princess Mrs. Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa , wife of Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa takes part in a rally marking the Freedom Palm Day (La Palme De La Liberte) in front of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris, on May 26, 2012. The Freedom Palm Day, in which Bahrain participates as the guest of honour, is dedicated to promoting religious freedoms.
(3) Cameroon President Mr Paul Biya and his wife Mrs. Chantal Biya arrives at a polling station in Yaounde as voting got off to a slow start in the country's presidential elections, which incumbent Mr Paul Biya seems assured of winning to extend his 29-year rule. The 78-year-old veteran is seeking a sixth term against 22 other candidates, with opposition complaining that his control over the electoral system is so complete the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
(4) Chad's President Mr Idriss Deby and his wife Mrs. Hinda Deby arrive for a dinner with the French President as part of the Summit for Peace and Security in Africa at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France.
(5) Guinea Equatorial's President Mr Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his wife Mrs. Constancia Mangue attend the funeral ceremony for former Spanish Prime Minister Mr Adolfo Suarez at the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid. Mr Adolfo Suarez, the prime minister who led Spain to democracy after decades of dictatorship and became its first elected premier after the death of General Mr Francisco Franco, died on March 23 aged 81.
(6) President of Gambia Mr Yahya Jammeh's wife, Mrs. Zeinab Suma Jammeh signs the 'Istanbul Declaration' after a special session on First Ladies' Leadership on Cancer Control as part of the 13th Organization of Islamic Cooperation Summit, at the Lutfi Kirdar Congress Centerin Istanbul, Turkey on April 14, 2016. Istanbul hosts the two-day 13th OIC Summit on the April 14-15, 2016 with the attendance by prime ministers and presidents from over 30 countries.
(7) United States of America First Lady Hillary Clinton pose for photographers with Kazakh President Mr Nursultan Nazarbayev and his wife, First Lady Mrs. Sara Nazarbayeva , Almaty, Kazakhstan, Nov. 10, 1997. Mrs. Clinton is on a trip visiting former Soviet Republics.
(8) North Korean Central News Agency and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Mr Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his wife Mrs. Ri Sol Ju, waves to the crowd as they inspect the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang, North Korea.
(9) Britain's Queen Mrs. Elizabeth II receives the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame and his wife Jeannette Kagame at Buckingham Palace, in London, Dec. 6 2006.
(10) King of Swaziland Mswati III and Inkhosikati Lambikiza of Swaziland attend a dinner for foreign Sovereigns to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee at Buckingham Palace on May 18, 2012 in London, England. Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall hosted the event.
(11) Syrian president Mr. Bashar al-Assad and his wife Mrs. Asma walk in a street of Paris on Dec. 10, 2010. Al-Assad is on a two-days official visit to France.
(12) President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores greet their supporters as they arrive to a pro-government rally in Caracas, Venezuela on Oct. 1, 2016.
(13) President of Zimbabwe and Zanu PF leader Mr. Robert Mugabe and his wife Mrs. Grace greets delegates during the official opening of the 6th Peoples Congress of Zanu-PF in Harare on Dec. 4, 2014. Robert Mugabe sought to shut down a bubbling succession battle at a key party congress, warning that his embattled deputy and onetime heir apparent could face criminal charges.