The children of an elderly couple imprisoned by the Taliban in Afghanistan have urged the group to release the pair before they “die in custody”.
They said the UN would be making a statement on Monday calling for the immediate release of Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, who 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.
Their four adult children, who live in the US and UK, say they are worried for their parents.
According to a remote medical assessment conducted by a cardiologist, Peter may have suffered a stroke or a silent heart attack, while Barbie continued to struggle with numbness in her feet, which was linked to anaemia, their children said.
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.
The Reynolds’s children say the last time they spoke to their parents was five weeks ago. Officials from the UK Foreign Office were allowed on an exceptional basis to visit the couple last Thursday to check on their welfare.
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 since passed.
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.
Sarah Entwistle, one of the children, said: “For the past two months, we have maintained a media blackout, hoping to demonstrate our intention to show respect to the Taliban, and ‘trust the process’.
“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.”