Judul : Family fear elderly British couple arrested without charge by Taliban could die in custody
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Family fear elderly British couple arrested without charge by Taliban could die in custody
The children of an unwell elderly British couple imprisoned by the Taliban without charge said they fear their parents will die in custody if they are not released soon.
UN human rights experts also remain deeply concerned by the plight of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who have spent months in 'degrading' high security Afghan prisons, largely away from each other, unaware of what they have done wrong.
No charges have been issued - nor any explanation given - for why the pair were arrested on February 1, along with their local interpreter and a visiting Chinese-American friend, Faye Hall.
They were detained after flying in a small plane from Kabul to an airstrip near their home in the central province of Bamiyan, known for its giant Buddha statues, which were blown up by the previous Taliban regime.
The couple, who have been married for 55 years, have a history of health issues but remain held by the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) in Kabul, and are said to be sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
Mr Reynolds, 80, has had heart conditions and is said to be in urgent need of medical care, while his wife, 76, is anaemic and has frequently collapsed since being detained.
They have lived in Afghanistan for the last 18 years after founding a research and training business.
The Reynolds' four grown-up children, who live in the UK and the US, have now renewed calls for their release.
The quartet 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.'
Five UN experts, who specialise in reporting on torture, treatment and punishments, including in Afghanistan, added: 'We see no reason why this older couple should be detained at all, and have requested an immediate review of the grounds of their detention.
'It is inhumane to keep them locked up in such degrading conditions and more worrying when their health is so fragile.'
In their last message to their children, Mrs Reynolds said that her husband urgently needed to be transported to a hospital in Dubai or the UK where he could receive the medical care he so desperately needs.
The Reynolds' children said they had written privately to the Taliban leadership twice and made public appeals for the release of their parents.
Their daughter Sarah Entwistle said the siblings had held off from making a public appeal during the last two months in the hope it would encourage the Taliban to release their parents, but that there had been no progress.
She said they had privately pleaded with the Taliban 'to uphold their beliefs of compassion, mercy, fairness and human dignity,' adding: 'We do so again now publicly.'
The couple moved to Afghanistan after falling in love with the country when they travelled there as students at Bath University.
Mr Reynolds has also pleaded with his family not to pay any ransom and demanded the Taliban apologise for detaining them.
'No money should be paid in hush money or hostage money, it doesn't solve anything if millions of dollars are paid,' he said in calls from prison which were shared with The Sunday Times.
'This government needs to face up to the fact it has made a mistake, it has done wrong.'
After taking power, the Taliban introduced a ban on women working and education for girls older than 12.
The couple, who married in Afghanistan in 1970, were held at the Pul-e-Charkhi prison in the capital, Kabul, until eight weeks ago.
They were then transferred to the GDI and promised they would be released within two to three days - but to no avail.
Friend Ms Hall was released from Taliban jail at the end of March after the Trump administration lifted huge bounties from the heads of senior Taliban figures.
However, the local interpreter and the Reynolds remain in custody.
While in Pul-e-Charkhi prison, the couple were said to have had access to phones and called their children every day from the prison yard.
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.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are supporting the family of two British nationals who are detained in Afghanistan.'
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