The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomed news that two France-3 journalists held hostage in Afghanistan since December 2009 have been freed.
A representative from the television broadcaster’s foreign news desk confirmed to IPI that Stephane Taponier and Herve Ghesquiere had been released, but was unable to provide details.
IPI Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said: “We are very pleased to hear the release of Mr. Taponier and Mr. Ghesquiere Their kidnapping and detention for over 500 days was a powerful reminder of the perils that both foreign and local journalists face in reporting on Afghanistan.”
The Associated Press reported that the journalists’ translator, Reza Din, was also released, and that French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed the release in a statement. Sarkozy also reportedly thanked Afghan President Hamid Karzai for his management of the hostage situation.
French authorities had recently expressed confidence that the journalists would be released. Defence Minister Gerard Longuet last week told French TV that the journalists’ chances of release might be helped by recent announcements about foreign troop withdrawals.
The journalists and three Afghan associates were reportedly kidnapped while working on a story about reconstruction on a road east of Kabul. The fate of the other two Afghans – a fixer and a translator – remained unknown.
U.S. President Barack Obama last week announced that he would withdraw 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by September 2012. France has said it will pull out a quarter of its 4,000 troops.