Mortaza Behboudi
Mortaza Behboudi | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 22, 1994 Wardak Province, Afghanistan |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, documentary filmmaker |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Known for | War reporting, Guiti News |
Mortaza Behboudi (Persian/Dari: مرتضی بهبودی; born April 22, 1994) is a Franco-Afghan journalist and documentary filmmaker specializing in war reporting. In 2019, Forbes included him in their 30 Under 30 list for Media and Marketing, recognizing his contributions through Guiti News. He earned the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy War Correspondents Prize as well as the Prix Varenne in 2022. On January 7, 2023, the Taliban detained him in Afghanistan, where he had been covering events since their 2021 return to power. After 284 days of captivity, he was freed on October 18, 2023.
Early life and education
Behboudi was born in Afghanistan’s Wardak province and belongs to the Hazara ethnic group. His family escaped to Iran in 1996 to avoid persecution under the Taliban regime. Beginning at age seven, he balanced schooling with work in brick-making and carpet factories.
In 2012, he went back to Afghanistan to pursue a bachelor's degree in Law and Political Science at Kabul University. During this period, he reported and filmed for multiple media organizations and launched Daily Bazar in 2014, Afghanistan’s inaugural economic newspaper. After publishing an investigative article in 2015 that put him at risk from the Taliban, he fled Afghanistan. Unable to obtain asylum in the US, UK, or Italy, France granted him refuge. Settling in Paris under the care of The House of Journalists (La Maison des Journalistes), he completed a master’s degree in International Relations at Pantheon-Sorbonne University.
Career
Since beginning his journalism career in 2012, Behboudi has reported from more than 35 countries. In 2018, he co-established Guiti News and led it as director until 2020. This digital media platform is France’s first refugee-led news outlet, providing distinctive viewpoints on migration and current affairs. His work with Guiti News earned him a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for Media and Marketing in 2019. Between 2018 and 2019, he contributed as a consulting editor and communications expert at UNESCO. Starting in 2017, Behboudi has actively promoted media literacy within French secondary schools.
In early 2020, he immersed himself inside Moria—the largest refugee camp in Greece—living among thousands of displaced people from March through August to capture their everyday experiences. This immersion resulted in the documentary Moria, a Living Hell, produced for Arte and later selected for screening at the Festival de Cinéma de Douarnenez in 2021.
From 2021 onward, Behboudi has reported extensively on Afghanistan for various media outlets. His France 2 report titled "Les petites filles afghanes vendues pour survivre" earned him the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy War Correspondents Prize (Television Trophy) in 2022. Along with French journalist Rachida El Azzouzi, he received third place in the Written Press category of the same awards and was honored with the Varenne Prize (National Daily Press) for their collaborative series "A travers l'Afghanistan, sous les Talibans." Together they co-directed the documentary "They will not erase us, the fight of the Afghan women," which aired on Mediapart and Arte in 2022.
On January 7, 2023, while reporting internationally amid Taliban rule since their takeover in 2021, Behboudi was taken into custody by the Taliban in Afghanistan. In February, a coalition supporting his release was established involving Reporters Without Borders alongside media organizations such as Arte, France 24, La Croix, Libération, Mediapart, Radio France, TV5Monde, and academic institutions. During his imprisonment, he was awarded the International Association of Press Clubs Freedom of Speech Award and nominated for the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award. Following nine months of advocacy efforts worldwide, Behboudi regained his freedom on October 18, 2023.
Awards and recognition
- 2019: Featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 for Media and Marketing
- 2020: Designated as an Ambassador for One Young World
- 2022: Candidate for One Young World’s Journalist of the Year Award
- 2022: Recipient of the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy War Correspondents Prize, Television Category
- 2022: Achieved Third Place in the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy War Correspondents Prize, Print Category
- 2022: Awarded the Prix Varenne for National Daily Press
- 2023: Honored with the IAPC Freedom of Speech Award
- 2023: Shortlisted for the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award
- 2024: Granted the Special Prize at the Anna Politkovskaya-Arman Soldin Awards
- 2024: Nominated for the Albert Londres Prize in the Audiovisual Division