Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights advocate Tawakkol Karman has condemned in the strongest terms the arrest of Yemeni journalist and activist Manea Sulaiman at Aden International Airport, describing the move as a flagrant assault on freedom of opinion and expression.

According to Karman, Sulaiman was detained on the orders of the Minister of Interior while attempting to travel to Cairo. She warned that such repressive practices against independent voices endanger what remains of Yemen’s public space and entrench authoritarianism at a time when the country urgently needs to expand freedoms and democratic participation.

In a statement published on her official Facebook page, Karman expressed full solidarity with Sulaiman and with all journalists and activists facing persecution for their views. She called on the authorities in Aden to release him immediately and unconditionally, ensure his physical and psychological safety, and end the ongoing harassment of the press and restrictions on freedom of expression.