An American woman, Faye Hall, who was held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, has said that a British couple in the same prison are “literally dying” and that “time is running out.”
Faye was arrested along with Peter, 80, and Barbie Reynolds, 76, on 1 February while returning to Bamiyan Province, where the couple had lived for 18 years. Faye was released after two months, but the Reynolds couple is still in prison, and they do not know why they are being held.
The couple had Afghan citizenship and ran a charity program approved by the Taliban when they took power in 2021. Faye described being moved between police stations and prisons and said the conditions were very harsh. She explained that the cells were cramped, guarded by armed Taliban, and even held serious criminals.
She said Barbie had lost a lot of weight and once could not stand or walk, while Peter was getting sicker despite medication for his heart surgery and cancer treatment. Faye said the situation is also affecting their mental health because they do not know what will happen each day.
Faye urged the US and UK governments to work together to secure their release. The couple’s son had also expressed fear that his parents could die in prison due to malnutrition and poor health.
The UN has warned that the couple could die if they do not receive proper medical care, calling their detention “inhumane.”
The UK Foreign Office said it is supporting the family, but British diplomats cannot work in Afghanistan because the embassy in Kabul was closed after the Taliban returned to power. The US State Department criticized the Taliban for unjustly detaining foreign nationals.
The Taliban says the couple is in contact with their families and receiving medical treatment, but their release has not yet happened.
-Peace News Desk