Aleksandra Mostovaja, the wife of a French-Afghan journalist, Mortaza Behboudi, who has been held captive by the Taliban since January 7, once again pleaded with the Taliban to release her husband in the “holy” month of Ramadan. “Ramadan is the month of compassion and forgiveness,” she said in a tweet.
In a tweet posted in Persian on Monday, Mostovaja emphasized the importance of forgiveness and kindness during the holy month of Ramadan and urged the Taliban to release Mortaza.
“As a responsible journalist, Mortaza has always worked hard to play a useful role in improving the situation in Afghanistan. I hope they will release him in this holy month.” she tweeted.
The French-Afghan journalist was arrested by the Taliban 48 hours after his arrival in Afghanistan on January 5, 2023, while trying to obtain press credentials. He is being held in a prison in Kabul and has been accused of espionage.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror on March 2, Aleksandra Mostovaja expressed concerns about her husband’s physical, psychological, and mental state, saying “I’m worried about how long this will take and if he will be released. The uncertainty of this situation is really, really killing me. They are accusing him of being a spy. I call for his release”.
According to the Mirror, the first and last time Mostovaja spoke with her husband following his detention was on January 26 in a call which lasted one minute “I could hear someone in the room talking behind him. He was just telling me: “Don’t worry. Tell my family I’m okay.” But at the same time, I could hear in his voice that he was about to cry.”
The Taliban has not yet responded to calls from several international media and human rights organizations including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and 15 French media and production companies, to free Mortaza Behboudi.
