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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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
