Patricia Gossman
Human Rights Watch
Belgium
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Past articles by Patricia:
No Justice 5 Years After Afghanistan Taliban Bombing
Five years ago, I interviewed a young Afghan woman who miraculously survived the devastating Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul on January 27, 2018. It was a horrendous attack: the Taliban rigged an ambulance with explosives and detonated it in downtown Kabul, killing more than 100 people. → Read More
Pakistan Province Bans Film about Trans Character
On November 17, the government of Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province, banned “Joyland,” the story of a young man in Pakistan who falls in love with a transgender woman. The film, which has received both critical acclaim and popular praise abroad, is Pakistan’s official entry for the 2023 Academy Awards. → Read More
Afghan Child Custody Case Exposes US Wartime Abuses
On September 5, 2019, US armed forces and Afghan allies carried out a night raid on a rural hamlet in southern Afghanistan. → Read More
No Justice in Afghanistan for Slain Journalist 2 Years On
Two years ago today, former Tolo News TV presenter Yama Siawash was killed in a car bombing on November 7, 2020. Despite the high-profile nature of the attack, the former Afghan government failed to carry out a thorough investigation or prosecute anyone for the crime. → Read More
UN Reports on Taliban Repression, Abuse in Afghanistan
A new report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) makes for very grim reading, confirming many of the concerns Afghan human rights advocates have raised since last August, when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. → Read More
Maldives New ‘Evidence’ Law Undermines Media Freedom
In a serious setback for media freedom, the Maldives parliament today enacted legislation allowing courts to force journalists and media outlets to reveal their sources. → Read More
Pakistan Court Holds State Responsible for Enforced Disappearances
The Islamabad High Court has provided a glimmer of hope for hundreds of victims of enforced disappearances in Pakistan. → Read More
Maldives Arrests Suspects in Cases of Murdered Activists
A breakthrough in the investigations into the murders of two political activists in the Maldives may finally offer hope for justice. → Read More
Nepali Police Kill Protester Demanding Protection from Tiger Attacks
On June 6, police in Nepal killed an 18-year-old woman when they opened fire on protesters using tear gas and live ammunition. Villagers in Bardiya district had blocked a highway to demand the government do more to protect them from wild animals from a nearby national park, media reports said. → Read More
‘Constitutional Coup’ Threatened in Pakistan
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s move on Sunday to dissolve parliament rather than face a no-confidence vote that could remove him from power effectively deprives Pakistani citizens of their right to choose their government. → Read More
Pakistan’s No-Confidence Vote Should Respect Democratic Process
Pakistan’s democratic institutions are facing a new threat. On March 8, opposition political parties sought a no-confidence motion in parliament to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan. Government officials responded by threatening violence and briefly detaining two members of parliament (MPs). The situation risks spiraling into a dangerous confrontation. → Read More
Glimmer of Hope for Pakistani Workers
Labor rights advocates in Pakistan have after many years persuaded the government of Sindh province, the country’s third largest, to increase and implement the statutory minimum wage. However, this significant victory will be put to the test before Pakistan’s Supreme Court, which on January 27 ordered that Sindh’s minimum wage increase be reevaluated. → Read More
Afghan Women’s Rights Activists Forcibly Disappeared
The Taliban’s response to the apparent enforced disappearance of Tamana Paryani, Parwana Ibrahimkhel, and other women activists in Afghanistan has laid bare their intent to eradicate critical women’s voices through unlawful use of force. → Read More
Pakistan Sentences Rights Defender to 14 Years in Prison
A military court in Pakistan has reportedly sentenced human rights defender and political activist Idris Khattak to 14 years’ “rigorous imprisonment” on charges of espionage after anonymous sources claimed he had provided sensitive information to a “foreign intelligence agency.” → Read More
With Taliban in Power, Only International Action Can Save Afghans
The Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan has magnified concerns about an accelerating human rights crisis in the country. Already the world’s deadliest conflict since 2017, Afghanistan had seen a steady rise in attacks on civilians in the past year, many by the Taliban and others by the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State. → Read More
‘The Taliban Are Looking for Me’
Yesterday’s bombing at Kabul’s international airport has drastically curtailed evacuation flights for at-risk Afghans, leaving many behind to face growing threats. → Read More
Proposed Pakistan Authority Seeks Greater Control of Media
Journalists, human rights activists, and political leaders across that country have raised the alarm about proposed legislation that would bolster powers of the government to censor and restrict the media. → Read More
UN Rights Body Needs to Investigate Abuses in Afghanistan
As reports mount of grave human rights abuses by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the United Nations Human Rights Council will hold an emergency session this week. → Read More
Arrest of Afghan Journalists Highlights Larger Concerns
The arrests this week of four journalists in Kandahar underscore rising concerns the Afghan government is trying to shield itself from media criticism. Among the many threats they face, Afghanistan’s embattled journalists should not also have to face prosecution for doing their jobs. → Read More
US Should Help Afghan Civil Society Partners at Risk
As the US withdrew its remaining troops from Afghanistan, Afghan government forces appear to be rapidly collapsing in the face of a Taliban offensive that has seen more than 150 districts fall in just eight weeks. → Read More