US Edition
UN Experts Urge Release of Elderly British Couple Detained in Afghanistan
AFGHANISTAN, JUL 22 – The elderly British couple has been held without charge for over five months with rapidly worsening health, prompting urgent appeals from United Nations experts and family members.
- On February 1, Peter Reynolds, 80, and Barbie Reynolds, 76, were arrested in Bamyan province, and have been held without charge for five-and-a-half months in Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
- Their four adult children in the US and UK have repeatedly called for their release, despite the Taliban not disclosing any reasons for detention.
- At the GDI, the couple sleep on a floor mattress without furniture, having spent months in underground cells without sunlight, the siblings said; a remote cardiologist noted Mr Reynolds may have suffered a stroke or silent heart attack.
- The Reynolds children demanded their parents' immediate release, while UK Foreign Office officials visited last Thursday, and the children pleaded, `This is another urgent plea to the Taliban to release our parents before it is too late, and they die in their custody.`
- The United Nations is expected to issue a statement on July 21 calling for their immediate release, the UK continues diplomatic efforts, and human rights activists said they could die without medical care.
24 Articles
24 Articles
UN experts demand release of elderly British couple held in Afghanistan
UN human rights experts Monday demanded the Taliban release a British couple who have been reportedly arbitrarily detained in Afghanistan since February. Experts criticized the couple’s lacking access to effective legal assistance and medical care, severed communication with family member, deprivation of liberty without due process. They stressed the severity of the situation, stating: We see no reason why this older couple should be detained at…
Son of British couple imprisoned by Taliban says his parents ‘need out now’
Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were arrested as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan, in February. The son of an elderly couple imprisoned by the Taliban in Afghanistan almost six months ago has said they “need out now” as their health is “deteriorating fast”. Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were arrested as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan, in F…
UN Experts Urge Release of Elderly British Couple Detained in Afghanistan
UN Experts Urge Release of Elderly British Couple Detained in Afghanistan A group of United Nations human rights experts has issued an urgent appeal for the immediate release and medical evacuation of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, two elderly British nationals detained in Afghanistan since February 2025. The couple has been held without charge or trial, and reports indicate their health is rapidly deteriorating due to harsh detention conditions, in…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
