'Human rights' campaigner Arundhati Roy abandons her principles for the PEN prize

The fact that Arundhati has decided to accept this award means that she has no issue with PEN'S silence on the Gaza war.

- NITIN MEHTA

Arundhati Suzanna Roy has for decades championed herself as a human rights campaigner targeting India and Hindus relentlessly. However she has now exposed herself as a hypocritical human rights activist. Her only aim is to denigrate India and Hindus. As the news of possible prosecution of Arundhati by Indian courts for anti-national activities came through, the anti-India forces scrambled to protect her.

The US-based organisation called PEN has awarded their annual PEN Pinter 2024 Prize to Arundhati. PEN is an organisation which claims to promote freedom and free speech. A committee of three, comprising Ruth Borthwick, Chair of English chapter of PEN, actor Khalid Abdalla and writer Roger Robinson awarded the prize to Arundhati. The PEN prize will include around $30,000. Actor Khalid Abdalla called Roy a “luminous voice of freedom and justice”.

However behind the scenes there was a revolt brewing in PEN. The staff members were objecting to the fact that PEN was not speaking out about the Gaza war. To add to their woes 31 authors and translators have withdrawn their work from consideration for or declined PEN America’s 2024 literary awards over the organisation’s “failure to protect” Palestinian writers in Gaza. An open letter from writers and literary professionals to PEN America calling on the organisation to take a stronger stance on the Israel-Gaza war has reached more than 500 signatories.