To mark six months since the Taliban’s detention of Franco-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) unveiled a giant counter on the facade of the Paris-Centre town hall on Thursday.
The clock displayed the number of days, hours and minutes since he has been held by the Taliban (January 7) and will remain in place till he is released.
Paris-Centre mayor Ariel Weil, deputy Paris mayor Jean-Luc Romero-Michel, Behboudi’s wife Aleksandra Mostovaja and RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire all spoke at the event, stressing on the need to step up the campaign for Behboudi’s release.
Christophe Deloire, RSF secretary-general, said that every minute that this reporter spends in a prison cell is one too many. “Our campaign, reinforced by an active support committee, is being heard by the Taliban authorities,” Deloire added.
He was arrested by the Taliban in Kabul just 48 hours after arriving there on a reporting visit. Earlier, Reporters Without Borders, along with representatives of 15 French media outlets for whom Morteza worked, had signed a joint petition for the journalist's release.
Afghanistan is ranked 156th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2023 World Press Freedom Index.
