Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced on Wednesday the release of French-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi by a Taliban court in Afghanistan. Following a 284-day detention, all charges, encompassing allegations of espionage and illegal support for foreigners, were nullified during a criminal court hearing held in Kabul, as per the statement. He was immediately released from Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul.

Behboudi, 29, originally from Afghanistan, became a refugee in France in 2015, where he co-founded Guiti News with fellow Afghan exiles. On January 5 earlier this year, he returned to Afghanistan for a journalistic assignment. A mere two days later, authorities apprehended him while he awaiting the issuance of press accreditation. He was subsequently held at the PD3 (Police District 3) police station in Kabul, as per the report of RSF. A few days later, on January 19, the journalist was transferred to the custody of the Taliban intelligence service, the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) where he faced allegations of espionage. RSF managed to designate two Afghan attorneys to advocate for him and obtain access to the case dossier.

Notably, Behboudi is also a recipient of the Bayeux Prize for War Correspondents, attributed to his series of reports about life in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.

UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett, Amnesty International and the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) all welcomed the release of Behboudi. Aleksandra Mostovaja, the spouse of Behboudi, in a statement on her social media, expressed her relief: “With Mortaza’s release, light has returned to my world, and our lives can now resume.” 

Aftero the Taliban’s 2021 return to power in Afghanistan, there has been a conspicuous upsurge in the curtailment of journalistic activities, characterized by a multitude of instances involving the arrest and incarceration of journalists.