Behboodi not arrested over his media activities: Hamad

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Media Violations and Complaints Commission has probed the issue of Afghan-origin French journalist Murtaza Behboodi and found that he has not been arrested in connection with his media activities.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center (JCA) said on February 7 that the French-Afghan journalist Murtaza Behboudi has been imprisoned by the Islamic Emirate in Kabul for more than a month.

The JAC called Behboudi’s arrest as illegal and demanded his release.

According to the AJC, Murtaza Behboudi traveled to Kabul from France on January 5 to work and prepare a report.

A number of other media supporting organizations have also demanded the release of Behboudi. Two days ago, the Journalists Without Borders asked the UN to help in Behboudi’s release.

Maulvi Abdul Haq Hamad, director of media monitoring at the Ministry of Information and Culture, told Pajhwok Afghan News the issue of Murtaza Behboudi’s arrest was not related to media.

Hamad said: “The media violations commission found after a probe that Behboudi has not been arrested in connection with media activities and the matter is different, so we have no obligation in this regard.”

He said the Ministry of Information and Culture was responsible to investigate every issue concerning the media, but if the issue did not belong to the media, it was security forces’ job to investigate and decide it as per the law.

At age 16, Behboodi started work as a photographer in Afghanistan and travelled to France at the age of 21 and continued his journalistic activities there. He has worked with different French media outlets.

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