Older U.K. couple detained in Taliban prison could die, human rights activists warn

Human rights activists are warning that an older British couple detained in Afghanistan are at risk of dying if they continue to be held in sub-optimal conditions.

Barbie and Peter Reynolds, aged 75 and 80, live in Afghanistan but were captured by the Taliban in February without charges and have remained in the terror group‘s custody since.

United Nations experts said in a statement on Monday that they saw “no reason why this older couple should be detained at all,” and are asking for an urgent review of the conditions of their detention, adding that it is “inhumane to keep them locked up in such degrading conditions.”

“Our first demand is their immediate transfer to a civilian hospital for medical treatment,” UN special rapporteur on torture Alice Jill Edwards said.

According to the group of experts, the couple were being held in a maximum security prison in underground cells with no access to sunlight until being transferred to an above-ground block last week.

Until eight weeks ago, they were being held separately, they added.

The experts also determined that the couple’s physical and mental health is “deteriorating rapidly” and that “without access to adequate medical care, they are at risk of irreparable harm or even death.”

Peter recently collapsed, suffered two eye infections and has been experiencing tremors in his head and down his left arm since being imprisoned.

He has required heart medication since suffering a transient ischemic attack in 2023, experts say.

A transient ischemic attack is a short period of symptoms similar to those of a stroke. While it does not tend to cause long-term damage, one in three people who experience this type of health issue suffers a stroke within a year, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In addition to these “grave concerns” about Peter’s well-being, his children said he is prone to skin cancer on his face, which would require immediate medical attention.

Barbie has anemia, a condition that means her body produces a low quantity of red blood cells, which may also have a low oxygen-carrying capacity. This can lead to a variety of health conditions, most commonly fatigue and lightheadedness, according to Christina Giorgio, an ICU nurse based in Toronto.

The Guardian reported that due to a poor diet, Barbie is weak and her feet have gone numb.

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The UN group says the Reynolds have been stripped of their freedoms and were being held in life-threatening conditions without access to proper legal counsel or medical care, and with limited family contact.

“The psychological toll on their health from not knowing why they are being held or when they are to be released is cruel treatment,” it wrote.

The couple, who have been married for 55 years, have four children living in the U.K. and the U.S.

On Sunday, their children pleaded with the Taliban, who took control of Afghanistan in 2021 after the American military withdrew after 20 years in the region, to release their parents.

“This is another urgent plea to the Taliban to release our parents before it is too late and they die in their custody,” they said in a statement.

“They have dedicated their lives to the people of Afghanistan for the last 18 years.”

The Guardian says the U.K. Foreign Office was granted a visit with the couple just over a week ago to check on their welfare. The children said in their note to the Taliban last week that they had not spoken with their parents for five weeks.

The couple were taken from their home, in the Nayak area of central Bamiyan province, on Feb. 1, along with another foreigner and an Afghan.

Their four adult children, who have been campaigning for their parents’ release, say the pair run Rebuild Consultants, an organization that provides training and education for government agencies, education organizations, businesses and non-governmental groups in Afghanistan.

The Sunday Times, which first reported the story, said one project was for mothers and children. The Taliban has severely restricted women’s education and activities.