Two French journalists, reunited with their families on Thursday after 18 months’ of captivity in Afghanistan, said their Taliban captors did not hurt them but shed little light on how they were freed.
Cameraman Stephane Taponier and reporter Herve Ghesquiere, both 48, stepped into the sunshine at a military airport near Paris on Thursday morning, hugged relatives and shook hands with President Nicolas Sarkozy. “I’m hungry for freedom, hungry for love, hungry full stop,” Taponier told France 3 television. Looking relaxed and healthy, they told reporters on the tarmac that they had not been mistreated by their captors but did not enjoy the Afghan mountain food, and passed the time listening to the radio and doing exercises. “We were locked up 23 and three-quarter hours a day with just two toilet breaks, dawn and evening,” said Ghesquiere, looking tired but smiling and laughing at times. “We were never beaten,” he said, but admitted he had some “minor health problems” after his long ordeal.
“The food wasn’t the hostage special, it was more the Afghan mountain special – not much to eat and always the same thing. It was really awful.” He said they had interesting discussions with their captors, via their interpreter Reza Din who was captured with them. “You had to be tough. We hung in there, with lots of help from our interpreter Reza, who is also with his family now in Kabul,” he said.
“We are very, very well,” said Taponier. “We were never threatened, but the living conditions were still very hard.” Ghesquiere confirmed he and Taponier were held “alone” separately last year for eight months of their ordeal. Journalists, who work for state network France 3, were freed along with Din on Wednesday in circumstances that remained unclear.
