Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday asked the UN to intervene with the Taliban authorities to obtain the "
immediate release
" of Franco-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi, "
wrongfully detained
" in Afghanistan for nearly 50 days.
“
Sunday February 26 will mark
” his “
fiftieth day of detention
”, underlines the NGO for the defense of journalists in a press release.
“
In a complaint addressed
” this Friday to the United Nations special rapporteurs on freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, and to the human rights situation in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, “RSF asks them
to to get the Taliban authorities to release them without delay
” Mortaza Behboudi.
Accused of espionage
Originally from Afghanistan but a refugee in France, Mortaza Behboudi, 28, traveled to his native country on January 5 for a report and was arrested on the 7 "
while he was going to recover his accreditation
", according to the NGO .
"
Detained for more than a month in a prison
" in the Afghan capital, Kabul, "
he would be under the charge of espionage
", specifies RSF.
"
The Afghan authorities only admitted to detaining the journalist on February 7
" - the day after the publication of an appeal for his release, launched by RSF and "
15 newsrooms or production companies
" -, without "
however giving details of his situation
,” he added.
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Born in Afghanistan, Mortaza Behboudi lived in Iran, where his parents were refugees, before returning to his native country, where he began his career as a photo-reporter.
A refugee in France from 2015, he created the information site Guiti News with fellow exiles.
He has collaborated with many French media, including France Télévisions, TV5 Monde, Arte, Radio France, Mediapart, Liberation and La Croix.
He is co-author of the series of reports “
Across Afghanistan, under the Taliban
”, published on Mediapart, which won the Bayeux prize for war correspondents and the Varenne prize for the French daily press last year.
His arrest illustrates the "alarming intensification of the Taliban regime's repression against journalists", deplores RSF, while at least two other reporters are still detained: Qotratullah Tarar and Khairullah Parhar, Mohammad Yaar Majroh having been released on February 19.
Afghanistan ranks 156th out of 180 countries in RSF's World Press Freedom Index in 2022.
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