The UN Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has welcomed the release of journalist Mortaza Behboudi, who was detained in January this year by the Taliban.
The release of the Afghan-French journalist was announced by Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) on Wednesday. Two reporters from Nasim radio station were also released along with Behboudi. However, the chief of the radio station has not yet been released.
“Arrested on 7 January in Afghanistan, French-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi was released from Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul on 18 October after 284 days in detention,” RSF wrote in a statement.
The Taliban claimed that Behboudi was arrested on charges of spying for opposition parties of the Taliban.
After regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has arbitrarily detained many journalists, civil rights activists and women’s protestors.
Head of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Union, Hujatullah Mujadidi, said that the Taliban should approach the cases against the journalists through the commissions of media law violation.
“It is worth to [thank] RSF for their efforts and the release of Mr. Behboudi shows the independency of the court,” he said.
We continue to actively engage and advocate with the de facto authorities for the protection of media and an end to arbitrary detentions, UNAMA said.
In a post on X, UNAMA reiterated its support for the protection of media in Afghanistan.
“We continue to actively engage and advocate with the de facto authorities for the protection of media and an end to arbitrary detentions,” the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan said.
Expressing her happiness over the release of her husband, Aleksandra Mostovaja, wrote on X: “light has come back to my world and life can begin again.”
“I am grateful for all the support and for being able to witness how Mortaza’s beautiful character has been illuminated through the darkest of times,” she added and echoed that no one should ever have go through this.
However, it has yet to be clarified when Behboudi will be able to leave Kabul.
The Secretary General of RSF, Christophe Deloire, noted in the statement that the organization is attempting to arrange the reunification of Mortaza with his wife and her family in Paris in the next few days.
“The Kabul criminal court’s decision to release journalist Mortaza Behboudi is of course a huge relief for his wife Alexandra, for his friends and colleagues, and for all defenders of press freedom,” he said.
Two journalists of Naseem radio station, Saifullah Rizayi and Mujtaba Qassimi, were also released together with Behboudi based on a bail. But the head of the radio station, Sultan Ali Javadi, has yet to be freed. The three journalists were detained on October 8 in Daikundi.
After the fall of the former republic government, journalists and media workers in Afghanistan have faced severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban coupled with dire economic conditions.
The journalists urged the relevant media organizations to form frameworks to overcome the existing problems affecting hundreds of media workers in Afghanistan.
Journalist Qassim Adelzada said that the media workers are struggling with lack of access to information.
“The freedom of speech has been severely restricted. The journalists and media don’t have access to the information. The imposition of restrictions has narrowed the work environment for the journalists,” he said.
Behboudi traveled to Afghanistan in December 2022 to work on a report but according to sources, due to the lack of legal documents he was arrested.
Behboudi has worked with French media as a cameraman.
