KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — A 79-year-old British citizen detained by the Taliban in Kabul has described his imprisonment as “the nearest thing to hell,” in an audio message shared with The Telegraph by his family.
Peter Reynolds and his 75-year-old wife, Barbie, were arrested by the Taliban in February while returning to their home in Afghanistan’s central Bamiyan province. The couple, who have joint UK-Afghan citizenship, have lived in the country for 18 years.
In the voice note, recorded from Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul, Reynolds described being shackled alongside rapists and murderers. “Just before this call, a man who murdered his wife and children was screaming next to me,” he said.
“The guards shout all the time and beat people,” he added. “It’s a horrible atmosphere—the nearest thing to hell I can imagine.”
The couple is being held in separate locations. They married in Kabul in 1970 and later founded Rebuild, a company offering education and training for local and international organizations.
According to The Telegraph, their arrest was ordered by a Taliban commander linked to the Haqqani network. The couple’s home has reportedly been ransacked and staff interrogated.
Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, said the separation has been devastating for her parents, who have never gone this long without speaking since they met in the 1960s.
She said her father shares a bunk bed with his interpreter, gets one meal a day, and has lost weight. “But Dad still finds light in the darkest places,” she said. “He calls his cell the VIP suite because it has a private toilet.”
Entwistle also said the guards never shout at her father, out of respect he’s earned in an otherwise terrifying environment.
Barbie Reynolds has reportedly started an informal English-speaking program for other women in the prison. Many can read and write but lack speaking skills.
“This is who our parents are,” Entwistle said. “Even in the darkest, most hopeless place, they are still creating peace and solutions.”
The family has urged UK authorities to secure the couple’s release, especially after the recent release of Faye Hall, an American detained with them, following US negotiations.
“If the Americans could get her out, then surely the UK government can do the same,” Entwistle said. “We continue to hope that the Taliban will not only release them, but choose to work with them for the good of the country.”
