Tawakkul Karman
Tawakkul Karman
9 min read
Yemeni activist for human rights and press freedom, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Nicknamed “the mother of the Yemeni revolution”, she played a central role in the Arab Spring in Yemen.
Frequently asked questions
Famous Quotes
« Peace can only be achieved by people who thirst for freedom and justice.»
« Yemeni women have proven that they can be at the forefront of change.»
Key Facts
- Born in 1979 in Taiz, Yemen
- Founded the organization Women Journalists Without Chains in 2005
- Leading figure in the Arab Spring protests in Yemen from 2011
- 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, first Arab woman to receive this distinction
- First Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, at age 32
Works & Achievements
The first Yemeni organization entirely dedicated to defending press freedom and the rights of journalists. It trains journalists, documents violations of freedom of expression, and advocates for the release of imprisoned journalists.
Tawakkul Karman organized weekly peaceful gatherings outside Yemeni government institutions, calling for political reforms and respect for human rights — a precursor to the large-scale mobilizations of 2011.
A central role in organizing and coordinating the protests of the Yemeni Arab Spring, leading tens of thousands of people to demand an end to the Saleh regime in a largely peaceful uprising.
The world's highest international honor, shared with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, recognizing her nonviolent struggle for democracy, women's rights, and press freedom in Yemen and the broader Arab world.
A landmark speech delivered before the Nobel Committee and the international community, in which she called for democracy, dignity, and freedom for Arab peoples, while paying tribute to the martyrs of the revolutions.
Since the outbreak of the Yemeni civil war, Tawakkul Karman has continued her struggle from abroad: speaking at conferences, issuing public statements, and lobbying the United Nations and Western governments to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen.
Anecdotes
In 2005, Tawakkul Karman co-founded the organization 'Women Journalists Without Chains' in Yemen to defend press freedom in a country where the media are closely controlled by the government. At a time when few Yemeni women dared to speak up in public, she began organizing weekly sit-ins outside the government headquarters in Sanaa as early as 2007, defying pressure and threats.
In January 2011, at the very start of the Yemeni Arab Spring, Tawakkul Karman was arrested by the authorities because of her role in organizing the protests. Her detention triggered an immediate wave of protest: thousands of people took to the streets to demand her release, and she was freed two days later under popular pressure.
When the Nobel Committee informed her that she had been awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, Tawakkul Karman was still at Freedom Square in Sanaa, in the midst of the protesters. She immediately dedicated her prize "to the Arab peoples in revolution" and to young people around the world, choosing to remain with the demonstrators rather than return to the safety of her home.
At the age of 32, Tawakkul Karman became the first Arab woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as the youngest laureate in the history of the award at the time. She shared the prize with two other African women, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, in a decision hailed as a powerful message in support of women's rights worldwide.
Nicknamed *Oum al-Thawra* (
the mother of the revolution
) by Yemeni protesters
Tawakkul Karman is known for wearing a colorful hijab — a detail that drew attention in a country where the niqab is widespread. She has stated that she deliberately chose not to wear the niqab as a political act
asserting that Islam does not compel women to cover their faces.
Primary Sources
Change does not come from the sky. Change is made by peoples, and today the Arab peoples have chosen change. They have chosen freedom, dignity, democracy, and the rule of law.
We will stay here until the regime falls. We are not afraid. Fear has switched sides — it is the government that fears the people now.
We demand complete freedom of the press, the lifting of prior censorship, and the release of all journalists imprisoned in Yemen.
You have governed this country for thirty years through corruption and repression. The Yemeni people now demand their freedom and dignity. The time for a peaceful transition has come.
Key Places
Birthplace of Tawakkul Karman, located in the mountainous southwestern region of Yemen. Taiz is renowned as one of the country's most educated and vibrant cities.
Capital of Yemen where Tawakkul Karman led the bulk of her struggle: weekly sit-ins outside government institutions, founding of her NGO, and leadership of the 2011 revolutionary protests at 'Freedom Square'.
Epicenter of the 2011 Yemeni revolution, where Tawakkul Karman coordinated protests for months. It was here that she learned she had been awarded the Nobel Prize, refusing to leave the demonstrators to check into a hotel.
Venue of the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony on December 10, 2011. At Oslo City Hall, Tawakkul Karman delivered her speech before the entire world, dedicating her prize to the Arab Spring revolutions.
Tawakkul Karman's city of exile since the escalation of the Yemeni civil war. She continues her international activism there for human rights and democracy across the Arab world.
