NEW YORK: Writer and social activist Arundhati Roy has been awarded the 2024 'Disturbing the Peace' Award by Vaclav Havel Center, a non-profit organization based in the US.

Sharing the award with Arundhati Roy is Toomaj Salehi, an Iranian rapper known for his songs against the political oppression of the Iranian government.
Announcing the award, jury member Salil Tripathi said, "Arundhati Roy speaks for the marginalised and dispossessed people of India"

He said that the author speaks for those “whose lands are taken away for big business, who oppose India’s nuclear policies, who speak up for the Dalits and who fight for their self-determination, making the comfortable afflicted, and offering comfort to the afflicted”.

The award is announced every year by the Vaclav Havel Center with the aim of inspiring writers from around the world who are fighting for human rights. The award is named after writer and politician Vaclav Havel, the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic.
The award amount is $5,000 (approximately Rs. 4.19 lakh). The award is intended to reflect Havel's legacy and also to show support for the many writers who bravely fight against human rights violations.