Franco-Afghan journalist detained for a month, RSF calls for his release

Mortaza Behboudi, a Franco-Afghan journalist, has been detained since January 7 in Afghanistan where he was reporting, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and fourteen media announced on Monday, calling for his release. “We call on the Taliban regime to put an end to this senseless situation”, write the NGO for the defense of the press and these media in a joint appeal.

According to them, Mortaza Behboudi is being held in a Kabul prison. “A month after his arrest, on January 7 in the Afghan capital, we are making the information public today, hoping that he will be released as soon as possible and will be able to return to France”, continue RSF and the signatory media, among which include France Télévisions, Radio France, Release, MediapartFrance 24, TV5 Monde or The cross.

“His phone is not answering”

Originally from Afghanistan but a refugee in France, Mortaza Behboudi, 28, went to his native country on January 5 for a report. He was arrested two days later “as he was about to get his press accreditation back”. On January 15, “his mobile phone called the RSF assistance service” without leaving a message and, “since then, his phone has not answered”.

“We only know that after 11 days of detention in a Kabul prison for failure to present accreditation, he was transferred to another prison in the capital and is allegedly under espionage charges”, adds appeal, according to which “a channel for discussions has been opened by RSF with the Taliban authorities”.

Work rewarded in Bayeux

Born in Afghanistan, Mortaza Behboudi lived in Iran where his parents were refugees. He then returned to his native country where he began his career as a photojournalist. A refugee in France from 2015, he created the information site Guiti News with fellow exiles. He has collaborated with many French media.

He is co-author of the series of reports “Across Afghanistan, under the Taliban”, published on Mediapart and rewarded last year with the Bayeux prize for war correspondents and the Varenne prize for the national daily press.


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