Arundhati Roy receives PEN Pinter Prize 2024, calls attention to Palestinian struggles
Shares PEN Pinter Prize 2024 with jailed Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah
►Donates prize money to Palestinian children
London: Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy was honoured with the PEN Pinter Prize 2024 during a ceremony at the British Library in London, sharing the accolade with Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah, recognised as the Writer of Courage 2024 by English PEN.
In her acceptance speech, Roy committed to raising awareness about the ongoing struggles faced by Palestinians, expressing solidarity with political prisoners in India. She announced that her share of the prize money would be donated to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. Roy emphasised the importance of Abd el-Fattah’s voice, stating, “We are listening, Alaa. Closely.”
Roy also addressed the harsh realities of oppression, focusing on the violence faced by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. She condemned the ongoing military actions by Israel, which she characterised as genocidal, citing an official death toll of 42,000, with a majority being women and children. She urged for global awareness and action against such atrocities.
Reflecting on historical injustices, Roy criticised past U.S. foreign policy decisions for contributing to the current crisis. She contested the narrative framing the conflict as one of equal aggression, asserting that Israel’s occupation and oppression of Palestinians are the root causes of the violence.
Concluding her speech, Roy challenged the audience to consider the moral implications of inaction and to recognise the humanity of those suffering under occupation. She called for questioning the complicity of their own governments in supporting oppressive regimes, emphasising the urgency of addressing Palestinian rights and the broader implications of state-sponsored violence.
Roy shared her PEN Pinter Prize 2024 with jailed Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah. Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British-Egyptian writer and activist, has been imprisoned in Egypt for over five years for his outspoken defence of freedom of expression. His writings from prison, including social media posts, were compiled in the 2021 book You Have Not Yet Been Defeated, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions. Abd el-Fattah's work has garnered international attention, highlighting the risks faced by those who speak out against oppressive regimes.
According to Abd el-Fattah’s lawyer, Khaled Ali, the activist was initially expected to complete his sentence on 29 September 2024. However, authorities intend to extend his detention until 3 January 2027, effectively negating the time served from September 2019 to January 2022, which was categorised as pretrial detention in case No. 1356 of 2019. Abd el-Fattah was arrested on 28 September 2019 for raising awareness about a fellow prisoner’s death and faced multiple charges, including joining a terrorist group and spreading false information. After two years of pretrial detention, he was sentenced by the Emergency State Security Court to five years in prison.
During the ceremony, Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the Egyptian news website Mada Masr, accepted the award on Abd el-Fattah’s behalf, emphasising his bravery in the pursuit of truth.
In response to her son’s prolonged detention, Laila Soueif, Abd el-Fattah's mother, has initiated a hunger strike, describing the extension of his sentence as a violation of Egyptian law. She stated, “I consider this a kidnapping as well as unlawful detention,” highlighting the grave injustice of her son’s imprisonment. The family has urged the new Labour government in the UK to advocate for Abd el-Fattah’s release. Soueif plans to meet with British Foreign Minister David Lammy on 19 October in London to discuss her son’s situation.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
