The United Nations Human Rights Office, High Commissioner for Human Rights(HR) Volker Turk, has urged the Indian government to drop the Unlawful Activities case against writer Arundhati Roy and former professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain for remarks they made in 2010.

Arundhati Roy is best known for her debut novel, The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize in 1997. English PEN named Roy the winner of the 2024 PEN Pinter Prize.

Most Popular Books

The God of Small Things; The Ministry of Utmost Happiness; The Cost of Living; Capitalism: A Ghost Story; An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

The HR Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights.   It addresses situations of HR violations and makes recommendations on them.  The council can discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year. It meets at the UN Office in Geneva.

The UN General Assembly elects 47 United Nations Member States to form the Council. The HR Council replaced the former United Nations Commission on HR. The United Nations General Assembly created the Council on 15 March 2006 through resolution 60/251. Its first session occurred from 19 to 30 June 2006.

                       
 The General Assembly members elect the Council members for a three-year term through a direct and secret ballot. While Council members serve for three years, they immediately cannot re-elected after serving two consecutive terms.