Pierre Borghi was a French photographer that was abducted on his second
week of his trip to Afghanistan.
Once abducted, Borghi was forced to live with an Afghan family for ten
days. After those ten days, he was moved to a small hole in a barn under a
trapdoor. Borghi was held there in that
spot for three and half months. Borghi was not able or allowed to lay down flat
or sit up. Borghi was only granted permission to leave his hole when they
forced him to make ransom videos for the Taliban.
If Borghi was claustrophobic he was pretty much screwed. I would not be
able to sanely keep myself together while being held in a hole for three and
half months without the ability to lie down and sleep. To make matters worse,
Borghi only had a three liter bucket to use for a toilet. I commend this man
for enduring all that he suffered throughout his capture.
Borghi was brought out of his hole to make ransom videos for the
Taliban. These videos consisted of the demands of the Taliban and its main
purpose was to show that Borghi was still alive. These videos were sent to the
U.S. and his family in order for the Taliban to get what they wanted. On March
28, the last video Borghi would make, he received letters from that were sent
from his family to him from the secret service. He was also told that he would
be killed because the French were not meeting the demands of the Taliban.
After hearing about his possible death, Borghi wrote his final letter as proof of his life to his family and the authorities. After the letter he kept a piece of paper and pen and wrote out a wish list for his life once freed. I believe his note is taken in multiple meanings. I believe this note was his way of keeping himself positive about being free. Others researchers have said that this note was written more out of desperation than motivation. How do you view Borghi's wish list?
On the night of April 7th, Borghi began his escape from the Taliban. Borghi describes the night, "Outside, I saw lights shimmering away on the right hand side, in the far distance. There's not much street lighting in Afghanistan, so I figured this was a military base of some sort." Once Borghi was out of the holding facility he mentions encountering various checkpoints. He was unsure if these checkpoints were ran by the US Army or the Taliban. To ensure his safety he had crawl and hide behind rocks.
A man faced with death decided to make an escape for his life. Knowing that he was in the midst of death by the Taliban, I believe Borghi decided that if he were going to die, then he should go out trying to free his life. I think this is a testament to Borghi's character and willingness to survive. Do you think that Borghi was brave or stupid for mounting his escape at the risk of his own life?
Borghi was brave for doing what he did and escaping from the Taliban. At any moment, he could have potentially been killed, and he knew he had to do something. If he would not have escaped, there is a good chance that he would not be alive today. It took a tremendous amount of bravery to escape to his freedom. As long as he had been a prisoner, he needed to do something. If I had been in that position and I had an opportunity to possible save my life, I would have done the same as he did.
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