bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

The children of an elderly couple imprisoned by the Taliban in Afghanistan have urged the group to release them before they “die in custody”.
Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were arrested as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan, in February.
They have been held for five-and-a-half months without charge and, up until eight weeks ago, had been separated and detained in a maximum-security prison.
The couple’s four adult children, who live in the United States the UK, say they are worried for their parents, who are both in poor health.
They said: “This is another urgent plea to the Taliban to release our parents before it is too late, and they die in their custody.
“They have dedicated their lives to the people of Afghanistan for the last 18 years.”
The siblings said they had written privately to the Taliban leadership twice and made public appeals for the release of their parents, who have run school training programmes for 18 years in the country, remaining after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Their daughter Sarah Entwistle said the siblings had held off from making a public appeal during the past two months in the hope it would encourage the Taliban to release their parents, but that there had been no progress.
She said they had privately pleaded with the Taliban “to uphold their beliefs of compassion, mercy, fairness and human dignity”, adding: “We do so again now publicly.”
After taking power, the Taliban introduced a ban on women working and education for girls older than 12.
The Reynolds’ children say the last time they spoke to their parents was five weeks ago when their mother said their father’s health was rapidly deteriorating.
According to a remote medical assessment conducted by a cardiologist, Peter may have suffered a stroke or a silent heart attack, the siblings said.
They added that Peter was suffering from a red, peeling, bleeding face, which could mean his skin cancer had returned.
Barbie continued to struggle with numbness in her feet, which was linked to anaemia, possibly from insufficient food in the maximum security prison, her children said, while a medical assessment noted that this created additional strain which could lead to heart failure.
The couple, who celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary this week, were held up until eight weeks ago at the Pul-e-Charkhi prison in the capital, Kabul, their children said.
They were then transferred to the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), with the promise of release within two to three days, they said. Two further months have passed, with no sign of release.
While in Pul-e-Charkhi prison, the couple were said to have had access to phones and called their children every day from the prison yard.
The children said their parents had better conditions at the GDI but still had no bed or furniture and slept on a mattress on the floor.
Entwistle added: “For the past two months, we have maintained a media blackout, hoping to demonstrate our intention to show respect to the and ‘trust the process’.
“We are grateful to Doughty Street Chambers for liaising with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. The UN will be making a statement on Monday calling for immediate release. In the light of this, we are also publicly appealing again to the Taliban for this.”
Officials from the UK Foreign Office were allowed on an exceptional basis to visit the couple last Thursday to check on their welfare.
A spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of two British nationals who are detained in Afghanistan”.


5 killed in latest clash at Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing

Afghan boy, 13, executes family’s murderer in echoes of worst days of Taliban rule

Pakistan rejects UN warning over legal immunity for military chief

3 Chinese citizens killed in Tajik-Afghan border clash

Taliban

Taliban urged to release elderly UK couple before they ‘die in custody’

Taliban fighters on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan. File photo: Reuters

UK reveals secret US$1.1 billion resettlement of thousands of Afghans after data leak

Afghan refugees, fleeing the capital of Kabul, arrive at Pristina International airport in Kosovo in August 2021. Photo: AFP

British Secretary of State for Defence John Healey said data set with personal details of nearly 19,000 Afghans applying to come to Britain was mistakenly released in 2022. Photo: EPA

Russia becomes first country to recognise Taliban government of Afghanistan

Taliban soldiers celebrate on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul on a street near the US embassy in August 2023. Photo: Reuters

The newly appointed Taliban envoy to Moscow Gul Hassan hands copies of his credence letters to Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko in Moscow. Photo: Russian foreign ministry via AFP

Trump says he will help Afghans stuck in the UAE since 2021 Taliban takeover

A US Air Force aircraft takes off from Kabul’s international airport in August 2021 during the US evacuation from Afghanistan. File photo: AFP 

Scenes at Kabul’s international airport in August 2021 as Afghans try to flee the country. File photo: EPA-EFE

Afghanistan border ‘emergency’ as thousands deported from Iran: UN

Taliban security personnel stand guard on the back of a vehicle as Afghan refugees arrive at the zero point of the Islam Qala border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran on June 28, following their deportation from Iran. Photo: AFP

Afghan refugees arrive from Iran at Islam Qala border between Afghanistan and Iran, on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban Abdul Salam Hanafi (second right) speaks with media during his visit to the Islam Qala border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran on June 28. Photo: AFP

News

World

Europe

Russia & Central Asia

Barbie Reynolds, 76, and husband Peter, 80, have been held for over five months without charge


Barbie Reynolds, 76, and husband Peter, 80, have been held for over five months without charge.


Taliban urged to release elderly UK couple before they ‘die in custody’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Barbie Reynolds, 76, and husband Peter, 80, have been held for over five months without charge

Barbie Reynolds, 76, and husband Peter, 80, have been held for over five months without charge