A British man’s ‘life is in peril’ together with his health deteriorating since he and his wife were detained in Afghanistan.
Peter and Barbie Reynolds, aged 79 and 75, were travelling home to the country’s Bamyan province after they were arrested on February 1.
They’ve since been separated and moved to a high-security prison in an undisclosed location, their daughter Sarah Entwistle told The Sunday Times.
She said: ‘We hear he now has a chest infection, a double eye infection and serious digestive issues as a consequence of poor nutrition.
‘Without immediate access to mandatory medication, his life is in serious danger.
‘Our desperate appeal to the Taliban is that they release them to their home, where they’ve the medication he must survive.
‘We imagine this request needs to be viewed not merely as a plea, but as a singular opportunity to display an unforgettable act of kindness that may resonate world wide.’
Barbie and Peter have spent many years living, working and travelling in Afghanistan.
They married in its capital Kabul in 1970, and for the last 15 years, they’ve run training projects in schools.
When the Taliban seized power again in 2021, the university sweethearts – each Afghan residents – stayed.
Barbie was even the primary woman issued a certificate of appreciation by the Taliban for his or her work, which incorporates teaching parenting skills to moms.
‘The Taliban leaders were so impressed and inspired by the programmes Mum and Dad were offering, they said they would really like them arrange in every province of Afghanistan’, Sarah previously said.
Now she fears this work is the actual reason her parents have been detained in a rustic where women are banned from work and education.
The Taliban says they were arrested – together with their American friend, Faye Hall – for not co-ordinating their private rental flight with the local government.
In an announcement last month, Taliban official Abdul Mateen Qani said: ‘A series of considerations is being taken into consideration, and after evaluation, we are going to endeavour to release them as soon as possible.’
The couple’s family reportedly doesn’t want the UK government involved with the case.
Even in the event that they did, there’s little they may do. The UK doesn’t recognise the Taliban government, and it has no embassy in Afghanistan.
4 British men were held by the Taliban for as much as 10 months before their release in October 2023.
The Foreign Office warns against all travel there, saying: ‘The safety situation is volatile. Travel throughout Afghanistan is amazingly dangerous and border crossings is probably not open.
‘There’s a heightened risk of British nationals being detained in Afghanistan.
‘Should you are a British national and you’re detained in Afghanistan, you possibly can face months or years of imprisonment. FCDO’s ability to allow you to is amazingly limited and support in person is just not possible in Afghanistan.’
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