Indian-born British author Salman Rushdie (67) has won the PEN/Pinter Prize in recognition of his support for freedom of speech and liberal help to other writers. The prize which is awarded by the British branch of the worldwide writers’ association is named after the late playwright Harold Pinter, who was an ardent advocate of human rights and a fighter for social causes.

Rushdie, who is known for his controversial book “The Satanic Verses” which   had caused an outrage among the Muslim fundamentalist and also saw a fatwa issued by the Iranian head Late Ayatollah Khomeini against him in 1988. He had gone into hiding ofr several years and is now been seen in public over the past few years. He won the Booker’s Prize for his second novel Midnights Children and has been an advocate of freedom of expression for writers like him all over the world and has taken a keen interest in protecting the rights of writers . The prize will be awarded at a ceremony in London on October  9th 2014 .