In India she is battling with UAPA, but Ireland honours Arundhati Roy with the PEN Pinter Prize 2024

Author Arundhati Roy has been awarded the prestigious PEN Pinter Prize 2024. The award recognizes writers who exhibit courage in defending freedom of expression. Roy, selected in April by the jury, faces increased scrutiny having recently been sanctioned for prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) over an allegedly provocative speech made in 2010.

Ruth Borthwick, Chair of English PEN and member of the jury, praised Roy's ability to pen stories of injustice with both wit and beauty. "While India remains an important focus, she is truly an internationalist thinker, and her powerful voice is not to be silenced," said Borthwick.

Actor and activist Khalid Abdalla, also on the jury, highlighted Roy's enduring commitment to justice and freedom. "Her words have come with fierce clarity and determination for almost thirty years now," Abdalla stated. "In honouring Arundhati Roy this year, we are celebrating both the dignity of her body of work and the timeliness of her words."

Roger Robinson, another jury member and writer/musician, echoed their sentiment, calling Roy "the unanimous choice for this prestigious award." He stated that Roy tactfully intertwines fiction and non-fiction and deals with the themes that often challenge the status quo.

Accepting the award named after Harold Pinter, Roy expressed gratitude and acknowledged the turbulent state of the world today. "Since he isn’t, some of us must do our utmost to try to fill his shoes," Roy stated.

Criticism has arisen over the recent decision to prosecute Roy and her co-accused under the UAPA. Arundhati Roy will be celebrated at an event held by the British Library on October 10, during which she is expected to deliver a speech.

The PEN Pinter Prize is bestowed annually upon a writer of exceptional literary merit residing in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, or the Commonwealth. It celebrates writers who, in the words of Harold Pinter, cast "an unflinching, unswerving" gaze upon the world and demonstrate a "fierce intellectual determination" to uncover truth in society.