Your actions for Mortaza’s freedom. Join our efforts to promote the release of the journalist Mortaza Behboudi held by the Taliban in Afghanistan

Franco-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi has been wrongfully detained in a Kabul prison since 7 January. Only 48 hours after his arrival in Afghanistan for the purpose of reporting, Taliban authorities arrested Behboudi. Accused of spying he has been held in a prison in the Afghan capital ever since.

Having fled Afghanistan at the age of 21, Behboudi was freelancing in self-imposed exile in France for several major French-language media outlets including France Télévisions, Arte, Mediapart and Libération. He has become a well-known journalist, who is respected and appreciated by his media colleagues and has been awarded multiple prizes such as the Bayeux Prize for War Correspondents.

 Calling for Behboudi’s immediate release Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has led several actions: Together with 15 french media outlets that Behboudi has worked for, RSF published a joint appeal for his release and has set up a support committee in order to coordinate actions between Behoudi’s colleagues and friends, as well as academia and media representatives and civil society. Moreover, RSF has formally referred the case to two United Nations special rapporteurs and has asked the UN to seek his immediate release. 

More than 11 thousand people have signed the petition launched by RSF calling on the Taliban government to immediately free Mortaza Behboudi.

We need you! Mortaza needs you! Join our efforts and support the campaign by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the #FreeMortaza support committee for the immediate release of Mortaza Behboudi. Let’s stop this senseless detention together!