Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is a widely known Indian author and activist. She won the 1997 Booker Prize for her debut novel The God of Small Things. She has also published several books, articles and essays focusing on the effects of global capitalism and the corporatization and militarization on India’s disadvantaged minorities, particularly Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims. Arundhati Roy has been vocal against rights violations commited by the Indian government’s against of Kashmiri civilians, including the unilateral abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomous statehood in 2019.
Human rights defenders in India face a diverse range of attacks and harassment from state and non-state actors alike, including killing, physical assault, arbitrary detention, threats and judicial harassment. Police officials are often the perpetrators of violence against HRDs, which is usually carried out with impunity. Armed groups and private companies also target HRDs for work related to economic development projects and their impact on the local communities or the environment. HRDs are increasingly the targets of online smear campaigns by radical nationalists.
