SANA'A: In visit to Turkey, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tawakul Karman, did not hesitate when meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to demand the immediate release of journalists currently held in prison by his government. “It is new information for me that there are journalists in prison in Turkey. They must release all the journalists. I'm calling on Mr. Erdogan: If there are any journalists in prison, I call for them to be released now. Turkey is a democratic country and we take it as a role model. I am sure Mr. Erdogan and his cabinet will trust freedom of expression rights,” Karman told a conference at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul yesterday. Karman stressed that her work on human rights and on the freedom of the press did not stop at Yemen's borders adding that it was her duty as a women and citizen of the world to speak out against injustice. The young activist did however, balance her criticism of Turkey by explaining that she wished Yemen would emulate Turkey in terms of its democratic, political and economic achievements. Karman is set to become a Turkish citizen this March. Decidedly wearing her activism hat, Karman was keen to remind Erdogan that as a major player in the region, Turkey should pressure the Syrian government into submission and more urgently, force Syrian President Assad out of power. “If Turkey goes ahead and supports the Syrian people, they won't need support from the international community,” Karman said. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/plHbI Tags: Erdogan, Jailed Journalists, Tawakul Karman, Turkey Section: Human Rights, International, Latest News, Women, Yemen
