Afghanistan: RSF warns of the imprisonment of journalist Mortaza Behboudi

A showcase in solidarity with Mortaza Behboudi in Douarnenez, Brittany, his city of heart, where solidarity with him has never ceased to be expressed, April 2023. © Olivier Favier RFI

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3 min

The meeting on Afghanistan in Doha continues on 2 May. Twenty-five countries and international organizations assembled by the UN are trying to answer this difficult question: how to help the Afghans without legitimizing the Taliban regime? How can the authorities be persuaded to soften their positions, particularly on women's rights? The international community had tried to link financial aid and recognition from the Kabul authorities to respect for human rights. In vain.

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The Taliban government is largely absent from this meeting to which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened 25 countries and organizations, including special envoys from the United States, China and Russia, as well as major donors. The Kabul authorities have not been invited to participate in the meeting, which is due to end on Tuesday. And recognition of their regime "is not on the agenda of this meeting," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, announcing the start of closed-door discussions.

Ahead of the diplomatic meeting, Afghan women demonstrated Saturday in Kabul to express their opposition to any international recognition of the Taliban government. Afghan women are no longer allowed to work for humanitarian agencies, arrests of human rights defenders are frequent, such as the recent arrest of Matiullah Wesa, a right to education defender. Arrests of journalists too: our Franco-Afghan colleague Mortaza Behboudi is still detained by the authorities, after his arrest on 7 January. He would be suspected of espionage, false accusation, the 28-year-old reporter came to collect his accreditation when he was arrested.

► Read also: "My husband Mortaza Behboudi is deprived of his rights in detention"

The mobilization for his release has not weakened, thanks in particular to Reporters Without Borders, but the dialogue is complicated, RSF spokeswoman Pauline Ades-Mevel said.

Convincing the most extreme fringe of the Taliban

«

For Reporters Without Borders, it is important to continue to insist that he is a journalist, that he has nothing to do in prison, that he must be released as soon as possible, and above all that the mobilization for his release does not weaken, Pauline Ades-Mevel told Juliette Gheerbrant of RFI's international service. It is also important to remember that he is a journalist who has worked for many newsrooms in France, all of whom want to recall his professionalism and the reasons that brought him to Afghanistan when he was arrested on January 7.

Today we have established contact with the Taliban authorities, explained who he is and why we are calling for his release. And we are waiting for our message to be heard, for the journalist to be released and for this dialogue to continue with the Taliban authorities, the most difficult thing being to convince the most extreme fringe of these Taliban, to convince them that this journalist has nothing to do in prison and that he must be released. »

► READ ALSO: The UN meets in Qatar for a crucial meeting on Afghanistan

On January 5, 2023, Mortaza Behboudi traveled to Afghanistan for a report. 48 hours later, he was arrested as he was about to recover his press accreditation. ⬇ #FreeMortaza https://t.co/6o3YKgpKGW

— RSF (@RSF_inter) February 6, 2023

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Read on on the same topics:

• Media
• Freedom of the press
• Human rights
• Afghanistan
• NGO
• Taliban