Ten years ago, my people took to the streets and peacefully revolted against a dictatorship to install a new democratic system. With Yemeni young people, men, and women from all walks of life leading the way. 

Today is the 10-year anniversary of the day our uprising turned to celebration. Across the Middle East, the Arab Spring ushered in a new era in our quest for a true democracy.

Looking back on those heady days, I'm so proud of what we started. For years, I had called on my people to protest peacefully against the dictatorship, terrorism, and poverty. Our revolution was a sign that our society was finally transforming for the benefit of everyone, toward a more just and equal society.

But today, I recognize that we still have so much left to achieve. Since that joyous day 10 years ago, foreign interference has fueled a deadly proxy war that has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis and left countless others starving and sick. Foreign dictators and criminals interrupted our transition to an inclusive and equitable Yemeni democracy, with the aim of snuffing out hopes of democracy and freedom in Yemen or elsewhere in the Arab world. But just as ten years ago, the people’s quest for freedom is stronger.

I welcome pledges by the US administration and European governments in speeches and resolutions this month to stop the bloodshed and seek justice for the Yemeni people. I urge these leaders to back their pledges with substantive and conscientious actions. They must not pledge peace to our people, only to continue to lie with the authoritarians who terrorize and repress them. Ending weapons sales are good, but what is necessary is to end the violence, the malign foreign interference and the immunity for dictators. 

I call on international leaders to demand international accountability by transferring Yemen’s war file to the International Criminal Court, or establishing a special court for war crimes in Yemen. There is no peace without justice.

Despite our struggles, I remain hopeful. Yemenis are resilient, and my resolve is strengthened by the memories of those who protested by my side a decade ago. 

A dictatorship could not crush our quest for freedom back then. Today's carnage will not stop our progress toward a better future for us all, and generations to come.