An elderly British couple detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been separated and moved to a maximum security prison in a ‘shocking escalation’ of their plight, their concerned daughter has revealed.
Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, who have worked in the country for the last 18 years, were detained as they travelled to their home in the country’s Bamyan province on February 1.
The couple were arrested alongside an American friend, Faye Hall, who had rented a plane to travel with them, and a translator from the couple’s Rebuild agency, which provides skills-based courses for schools, non-governmental organisations and businesses.
On Saturday, their daughter Sarah Entwistle, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, told the Sunday Times that her father’s health had ‘significantly’ deteriorated, while her mother had been told she cannot see him any more.
Adding that the family were being kept updated by a ‘reliable source’, she said: ‘We hear now he has a chest infection, a double eye infection and serious digestive issues due to poor nutrition.
‘Without immediate access to necessary medication, his life is in serious danger.’
She had also been informed that her father had been beaten and shackled.
Describing their detention as ‘cruel’ and ‘unjust’, Entwhistle pleaded with the Taliban to release her parents without further delay.
Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, who have been detained by the Taliban, have been separated and moved to a maximum security prison in a ‘shocking escalation’ of their plight
Describing their detention as ‘cruel’ and ‘unjust’, the couple’s daughter has pleaded with the Taliban to release her parents without further delay. Pictured: A Taliban fighter
‘We believe this request should be viewed not merely as a plea, but as a unique opportunity to demonstrate an unforgettable act of kindness that will resonate around the world.’
The couple had been looking forward to flying to America in April, where 33 members of the family are due to gather for the first time in 20 years to mark Peter’s 80th birthday.
Last month, a Taliban spokesman said the couple, who hold Afghan passports, would be released ‘soon’.
The spokesperson added they have been receiving medication for their health issues despite a colleague saying Mr Reynold’s is at risk of dying without access to his heart medication.
Their arrests are said to have been ordered by a commander linked to the Haqqani network, a faction led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the interior minister.
While an official reason has not been provided, the couple were reportedly quizzed about whether they were engaging in ‘religious proselytising’.
Some also suspect their arrests could have been linked to the courses they ran for women, including ‘teaching good parenting skills to mothers’.
Tensions are growing between Haqqani and leading officials in Kandahar, who are fighting a pushback over the regime’s clampdown on women’s rights.
But sources within the Taliban say the arrests are a bid to increase international pressure on the government and its supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Following the arrests, there have been ‘heated phone calls exchanged’ as disagreements intensify between the Taliban factions based in Kabul and Kandahar.
Last month, a Taliban spokesman said the couple, who hold Afghan passports, would be released ‘soon’
Their arrest was by ordered by a commander linked to the Haqqani network, a faction led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the interior minister (pictured)
Sources within the Taliban say the arrests are a bid to increase international pressure on the government and its supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada (pictured)
The Taliban official said: ‘Since their arrest, there has been significant back-and-forth.
‘As the interior minister and the authority overseeing their detention and potential release, Haqqani seeks to present himself as a more reliable figure than those in Kandahar.’
Mr and Ms Reynolds have run school training programmes for 18 years and remained in the country after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
The couple, who originally met at the University of Bath, married in Kabul in 1970.
Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, previously told the Sunday Times: ‘My mother is 75 and my father almost 80 and needs his heart medication after a mini-stroke.
‘They were just trying to help the country they loved.’
After taking power, the Taliban introduced a ban on women working and education for girls older than 12.
Since then, thugs from its ministry for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice have targeted education providers and activists.
The couple were detained as they travelled to their home in the country’s Bamyan province
One of them, Matiullah Wesa, was arrested in March and her whereabouts remain unknown.
While the Taliban has not released a list of punishments for anyone involved in supporting women’s education, forced disappearances are said to have become ‘common’.
The Reynolds have dual citizenship and run five schools in Kabul, which includes a mother and children training programme reportedly approved by authorities.
Mrs Entwistle and her three brothers have written an open letter to the Taliban calling for their mother and father to be released.
They wrote: ‘We do not understand the reasons behind their arrest.
‘They have communicated their trust in you, and that as Afghan citizens they will be treated well.’
It is understood the couple’s family did not want the UK Government to get involved with the case.
In their letter to the Taliban, Ms Entwistle and her siblings wrote: ‘Our parents have consistently expressed their commitment to Afghanistan, stating that they would rather sacrifice their lives than become part of ransom negotiations or be traded.’
An employee of the couple’s business said: ‘The Taliban found no wrongdoing by Peter or the Rebuild organisation, yet they imprisoned them without any crime or guilt.
‘It seems that if Peter and Barbie are not released soon, Peter may lose his life because he needs medication and the Taliban are not allowing him it.’
Describing the British couple, the employee said: ‘They are the most honourable people I have ever met in my life.
‘Peter and Barbie are very dear to us, but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. We can’t even visit them in prison.
‘Since US financial aid to the Taliban has been cut off, the Taliban are trying to take foreign hostages to gain concessions from western governments.’
The employee said all Rebuild workers were ‘in danger’ and ‘most of them are displaced and living in hiding’.
The couple met while they were studying at Bath University where Barbie obtained a BSc degree in sociology and psychology.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women have been progressively erased from public spaces, prompting the United Nations to denounce the ‘gender apartheid’ the administration has established.
Taliban authorities have banned post-primary education for girls and women, restricted employment and blocked access to parks and other public places.
In October, the Taliban banned women from hearing other women’s voices in a cruel rule which sparked fears that women will now no longer be able to talk to each other.
Afghanistan’s minister for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, Khalid Hanafi, said at the time: ‘Even when an adult female prays and another female passes by, she must not pray loudly enough for them to hear.
‘How could they be allowed to sing if they aren’t even permitted to hear [each other’s] voices while praying, let alone for anything else.’
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office previously that it is supporting the couple’s family.
MailOnline has contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for comment.
