Mortaza Behboudi, a France-based photojournalist who travelled to Kabul on an official assignment, has spent nearly a month in an Afghanistan jail over allegations of spying on the Taliban.

Mr Behboudi had arrived Kabul on January 5 and in the process of obtaining media accreditation for his assignment on January 7, was picked up by the Taliban security, according to media organisations familiar with the matter.

“We remained silent for 30 days about the detention of Mortaza Behboudi,” a statement by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said. “Today, we are letting the world know that he was arrested in Kabul one month ago, on 7 January, in the hope that he will be released as quickly as possible and will be able to return to France.”

RSF disclosed that its helpline received a call from Mr Behboudi but there was no message left, raising concerns about Mr Behboudi’s well-being in the Taliban custody.

Although Mr Behboudi’s journalistic works focuse on refugees, he has been targeted by the Taliban on several occasions.

As a child, he went into exile with his parents who migrated to Iran to escape the Taliban rule. In 2015, he sought asylum in France following threats over his journalistic works.

The Paris Institute for Critical Thinking explained Mr Behboudi became a target for the Taliban over his works covering the opium trade.

The photojournalist has worked as a freelancer for news organisations like Radio France, Liberation and La Croix. In 2018, he cofounded Guiti News and has been running the news outlet using French and refugee journalists.