British couple held by Taliban for months feared they would be executed

A British couple released by the Taliban in Afghanistan last week say they were detained in 10 different prisons and at one point thought they would be executed.

Peter, 80, and wife Barbie Reynolds, 76, said it was never explained to them why they were being held, nor why they were released.

The couple, who have run a charity programme in Afghanistan for almost two decades, arrived back in the UK on Saturday after seven and a half months in detention.

“Good, old-fashioned diplomacy” ended their ordeal, Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, told the BBC, and again thanked the government of Qatar, which helped mediate their release.

Both suffered health problems while in prison, including severe anaemia. Taliban officials maintained they received adequate medical care during their detention and that their human rights were respected.

They were arrested on 1 February this year after taking a chartered flight from Kabul to Bamiyan province, along with friend Faye Hall and their translator who were later released.

A spokesperson for the Taliban foreign ministry, speaking after their release, said they had “served their time” but did not reveal the reasons for their detention.

“We have a lot to process,” Peter Reynolds said in written remarks sent to the BBC. “We are leaving behind quality people, our home, and all our possessions.”

The couple have a deep love of Afghanistan, and were married there in 1970.

Since 2009, the couple have been running training projects in Kabul and Bamiyan.

One of their education projects involved training women and children, and had apparently been approved by local authorities, despite a Taliban ban on women working and education for girls over 12-years-old.

One of the prisons Peter and Barbie were held in was Pul-e-Charkhi, a notorious maximum security prison outside Kabul that is home to some of the most dangerous criminals.

At one point they were held in basement cells with no windows for two months. For the final weeks of their detention they were moved above ground, where they say they had access to better food and were treated with kindness.

Peter and Barbie were taken to court around four times, each time there was no charge.

“When I was taken to court, I had my ankles and hands cuffed together with murderers and rapists,” Peter said via email.

They also say they are “mystified” by their detention, with Mr Reynolds adding that they were both mostly treated with respect but felt “a huge powerlessness”.

He adds: “We were told we were guests. However, when I was taken to court, I had my ankles and hands cuffed together with murderers and rapists.”

For his wife Barbara, the toughest time of her captivity was “seeing my 80-year old husband struggling to get into the back of a police truck with his hands and ankles chained.”

“The worst moment was being led away and being separated as a couple after 55 years of marriage to my best friend,” Mr Reynolds recalls.

Back in the UK, after nearly eight months of “oily and salty” prison food, Barbie told the Sunday Times she would like to have some salad and marmite, while Peter was hankering for baked beans.

Peter and Barbie said they won’t be returning to Afghanistan for now.

“We are confident in the many wonderful Afghans we know to bring about a positive future for their country without us,” they said.

The UK no longer has an embassy in Afghanistan and warns against all travel to the country, saying it is “extremely dangerous.”

According to the Foreign Office: “There is a heightened risk of British nationals being detained in Afghanistan. If you are a British national and you are detained in Afghanistan, you could face months or years of imprisonment.”