French journalists freed in Afghanistan

France 3 television reporter and cameraman freed by Taliban after 547 days in captivity east of Kabul Two French television journalists held hostage in Afghanistan since December 2009 have been freed, the Elysée has confirmed. Hervé Ghesquière and Stéphane Taponier who worked for French state TV channel France 3 were kidnapped with three Afghan associates in the mountains of Kapisa east of Kabul while working on a documentary about the protection and reconstruction of a road in the troubled region towards the Pakistan border. Held for 18 months by the Taliban, their detention was the longest hostage saga involving French journalists since the 1980s Lebanon hostage crisis. Ghesquière, 47, and cameraman Taponier, 46 are experienced war journalists whose work had ranged from the Balkans conflict and West Sahara to Afghanistan. The campaign to secure their freedom had become an important cause in France, with their faces draped from massive banners on public buildings, a major stadium concert in their support and their names mentioned nightly at the end of the evening TV news. They were released along with an Afghan interpreter, the other two Afghans had been freed months before. Their families and supporters were gathered at a protest in the centre of Paris today to mark 18 months of their detention when a call came from Nicolas Sarkozy to family members saying they had been freed. The French parliament gave a standing ovation when the news was announced by the prime minister, François Fillon, who said the men were in “good health” and would be back in France “within a few hours”. The last proof of life was a video of the two men dated November 2010. In January, an audio tape attributed to Osama bin Laden had demanded French withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Taliban had earlier made a series of demands in exchange for the journalists, including the liberation of prisoners held by France. France has around 4,000 troops in Afghanistan, mainly east of Kabul. It is the fourth largest contingent in Nato’s Afghan mission. Gradual withdrawal of French troops will begin this year, in line with the US. The exact circumstances of the men’s release after 547 days were not clear. The Elysée denied that a ransom had been paid. Le Monde reported that conditions for the release were met months ago but it had been delayed because of a difference of opinion between local Taliban and their senior hierarchy. The French president publicly thanked “everyone who took part in freeing the hostages” and praised Afghan President Hamid Karzai for his handling of the situation. France Europe Afghanistan Taliban Angelique Chrisafis guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 29, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.