Britons held by Taliban to face court hearing despite charges remaining unclear

British couple Peter and Barbie Reynolds have been separated in a Kabul prison ahead of court hearing without their Afghan interpreter

A British couple imprisoned in Afghanistan by the Taliban will face a court hearing on Thursday, more than a month after their arrest, their family members have said.

Peter Reynolds, 79 and his wife Barbie Reynolds, 75, were detained by Taliban authorities on 1 February while they were returning to their home in central Afghanistan’s Bamyan province. The couple, who married in 1970 in Kabul and have been living inside Afghanistan for the past 18 years, were running several education and training programmes for girls and women.

According to their family members, Barbie was allowed a brief phone call from a payphone on Wednesday from inside the Pul-e-Charki prison in Kabul. “They have been informed that their case is scheduled for court tomorrow. They have not been informed of any charges having been filed against them,” the couple’s daughter Sarah Entwistle told The Independent.

The reason for the court hearing for the British couple remains unclear.

The couple was arrested last month along with an American friend, Faye Hall, who had rented a plane to travel with them, their organisation Rebuild’s employees said. An Afghan translator working with them was also arrested.

Ms Entwistle said the interpreter has been detained by the Taliban as a “suspect” without any charges specified against him. “He will no longer be allowed to translate for them, and is also due to be produced in court, together with them, tomorrow,” she said amid fears that her parents might face breach of their rights under unfair representation.

“Mum is obviously extremely concerned that without a competent interpreter, their case cannot be accurately or fairly represented and will not be able to properly follow or engage in the proceedings, in serious breach of their rights,” Ms Entwistle said.

Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were detained while travelling to their home in the Bamyan province (Family handout/ The Independent)

On Sunday, the couple’s condition inside the prison was denounced by their children who said the detention of Reynolds’s is “unjust and cruel”. In a shocking escalation, they were moved to a maximum security prison after being separated. Mr Reynolds is in immense pain after he was beaten and shackled by the Taliban, according to his family members.

“His health has significantly deteriorated. We hear he now has a chest infection; a double eye infection, and serious digestive issues due to poor nutrition. Without immediate access to necessary medication, his life is in serious danger,” his daughter said.

Peter Reynolds seen talking a walk in Afghanistan (Family handouts/ The Independent)

Peter Reynolds and Barbie Reynolds married in Kabul in 1970 (Family handout/ The Independent)

The Taliban authorities have also denied urgent medical care to Mr Reynolds, causing his condition to significantly deteriorate, his daughter said, calling on the de facto rulers to observe kindness in the month of Ramadan and release her father.

She added that her mother Barbie is also being starved in the prison as a female prisoner is only fed once a day.

“Despite prison regulations that permit outside family visits, mum and dad have been denied access to see each other for the past ten days,” she said, detailing the separation imposed by the prison authorities on her parents. She added that her mother has submitted a formal application to visit him but has been misled.

“Again, we ask the Taliban to release Dad, Mum, Faye, and the interpreter as a gesture of goodwill during this season of Ramadan,” their daughter said in an appeal to the Taliban.

Peter and Barbie Reynolds outside the British embassy in Kabul on the day of their wedding in 1970 (Family handout/ The Independent)

Taliban official Abdul Mateen Qani confirmed the detention of the couple last month and said: “A series of considerations is being taken into account, and after evaluation, we will endeavour to release them as soon as possible.”

In their previous appeal to the Taliban, the children said: “We sincerely hope that this request will be embraced as a compassionate gesture during the sacred month of Ramadan, a time when the principles of mercy and compassion are especially valued in Islam.”

The reason for their detention remains unclear. The couple, who originally met at the University of Bath, remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, having set up an agency named Rebuild, which provides training in schools, non-profit organisations and businesses aimed at “fostering healthy relationships”.

With the Taliban having banned all girls’ education beyond primary school and preventing women from working, it has been suggested that the Reynolds may have been detained due to a course they ran for women which taught mothering skills.