The voice of women is the voice of freedom, which will be heard and could not be buried, and women should continue to reject hatred, extremism and racism around the world, says the human rights activist and Nobel Peace laureate Tawakkol Karman.

This came in a speech Karman delivered during the biannual conference of Nobel Women’s Initiative held in Germany under the banner "Global Feminist Resistance: Evolution and Revolution, Adapting to Survive Thrive. 

"I am very proud that our topic today is about women and resistance (...) As women, we must continue to reject hatred, extremism and racism all over the world," Mrs. Karman added.

She pointed out that women were at the forefront of the Arab Spring revolutions and that they were leaders, decision makers and fighters against oppression and tyranny.

The mother of Yemen’s revolution stressed the fact that full exclusion of women is impossible.  

No one, she continues, is able to achieve peace in any country suffering from oppression and persecution, which feed war and corruption. 

“There is no peace without justice, as achieving peace with dictatorships is unattainable," she emphasized. 

The Nobel laureate expressed disappointment that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has refused granting visas to Yemenis, saying, "Merkel's government has been a big supporter of refugees and her refusal is really disappointing.”