( CNN ) -- A Yemeni rights activist , whose arrest sparked an international outcry and domestic protests , was released from prison Monday and said there is a revolution taking place in her country . Authorities arrested Tawakkol Karman over the weekend , accusing her of organizing anti-government protests in Yemen 's capital , Sanaa . They let her go after more than 5,000 protesters gathered in her support . She had initially refused to leave prison until officials also agreed to free other activists detained over the weekend , she said . Karman is a leader of the protest movement in Yemen that is calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down . `` This revolution going on in Yemen was inspired by Tunisia 's 'Jasmine Revolution ' and we are now having a 'Jasmine Revolution ' in Yemen , '' Karman told CNN soon after her release . `` The huge amount of pressure coming from the people here will force President Saleh to leave office . '' Protests in Tunisia ended 23 years of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali 's rule . They have ignited unrest elsewhere in the region , including Algeria and Egypt . Karman , who heads the Women Journalists Without Chains organization in Yemen , said she was arrested Saturday night near her home . `` The police asked me to get out of the car but I refused . I asked to see if they had a warrant for my arrest and if there were charges against me . I was removed from the car by force , '' she said . Karman was arrested under a warrant for leading unlicensed student protests in Sanaa last week , according to a statement from the interior ministry . Known as one of the most-prominent rights activists in Yemen , she has helped to organize several protests that have drawn hundreds of demonstrators . People in Yemen are upset because the parliament is considering loosening the rules on presidential term limits . That has sparked concerns among the opposition that Saleh might try to appoint himself president for life . Saleh has been in office for some 32 years and was last re-elected in 2006 . Yemeni authorities ordered Karman 's release after she spent more than 30 hours in jail . `` My message is that we , the protesters who have been out there in the streets , are actually looking out for the welfare of our republic -- that we are making sure our leaders are accountable . They have taken our republic as a kingdom for themselves and we are holding our corrupt leaders accountable , '' she said . Journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this story .
NEW : Tawakkol Karman is calling for Yemen 's president to step down . NEW : ` ` We are now launching a ' Jasmine Revolution ' in Yemen , '' she says . NEW : She had initially refused to leave prison until other activists were also freed .