A Briton who has been trapped in a Taliban jail for more than nine weeks has said his time spent in captivity is the “nearest thing to hell”.
Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested on February 1 as they were returning to their home Bamyan province.
They are being held Pul-e-Charkhi prison, a maximum-security jail in Kabul.
In a recording of one of Peter’s phone calls, Peter says that he fears for the safety of his wife, who is being held in the women’s section.
He said that whilst he was living “in a cage rather than a cell”, he believes his own conditions are “VIP” compared to where Barbie is being kept.
Peter added: “I am learning a lot about the belly, the underbelly of Afghanistan. The prison guards shout all the time and beat people. We just witnessed a guy being beaten just now by one of the wardens outside in the exercise yard.
“It’s a horrible atmosphere, the nearest thing to hell I can imagine.
“I’ve been joined up with rapists and murderers by handcuffs and ankle cuffs, including a man who killed his wife and three children, shouting away, a demon-possessed man.”
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The couple, who first met at Bath University, have spent the past 18 years operating training programmes in Afghanistan, choosing to remain in the country even after the Taliban's return to power in 2021.
Since 2009, the Reynolds have operated training projects across five schools in Kabul and one in Bamiyan, focusing on education for mothers and children.
Their daughter Sarah Entwistle told The Sunday Times: “They said they could not leave when Afghans were in their hour of need.”
The educational programmes had reportedly received approval from local authorities, despite the Taliban's restrictions on women working and girls' education beyond age 12.
Sarah Entwistle, the couple’s daughter, told The Telegraph that the hardest part for her parents is being separated from each other.
She said: “We are able to talk to Dad several times a week, and he keeps insisting that his (locked and barred cell) is the VIP suite - because he only has to share a toilet with his interpreter, and they have a bunk bed.
“He says they are given one meal a day, but he’s given extra food from the commander’s table. He’s lost weight, and has had some health scares, but Dad can find light in the darkest of places.”
Last week, their family urged David Lammy to publicly condemn the Taliban and demand for their release.
An American citizen, Faye Hall, was also detained alongside the Reynolds couple. She was released last week after the Trump administration lifted bounties worth $10m (£7.8m) from the heads of senior Taliban figures.
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Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested on February 1 as they were returning to their home Bamyan province.
They are being held Pul-e-Charkhi prison, a maximum-security jail in Kabul.
In a recording of one of Peter’s phone calls, Peter says that he fears for the safety of his wife, who is being held in the women’s section.
He said that whilst he was living “in a cage rather than a cell”, he believes his own conditions are “VIP” compared to where Barbie is being kept.
Peter added: “I am learning a lot about the belly, the underbelly of Afghanistan. The prison guards shout all the time and beat people. We just witnessed a guy being beaten just now by one of the wardens outside in the exercise yard.
“It’s a horrible atmosphere, the nearest thing to hell I can imagine.
“I’ve been joined up with rapists and murderers by handcuffs and ankle cuffs, including a man who killed his wife and three children, shouting away, a demon-possessed man.”
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The couple, who first met at Bath University, have spent the past 18 years operating training programmes in Afghanistan, choosing to remain in the country even after the Taliban's return to power in 2021.
Since 2009, the Reynolds have operated training projects across five schools in Kabul and one in Bamiyan, focusing on education for mothers and children.
Their daughter Sarah Entwistle told The Sunday Times: “They said they could not leave when Afghans were in their hour of need.”
The educational programmes had reportedly received approval from local authorities, despite the Taliban's restrictions on women working and girls' education beyond age 12.
Sarah Entwistle, the couple’s daughter, told The Telegraph that the hardest part for her parents is being separated from each other.
She said: “We are able to talk to Dad several times a week, and he keeps insisting that his (locked and barred cell) is the VIP suite - because he only has to share a toilet with his interpreter, and they have a bunk bed.
“He says they are given one meal a day, but he’s given extra food from the commander’s table. He’s lost weight, and has had some health scares, but Dad can find light in the darkest of places.”
Last week, their family urged David Lammy to publicly condemn the Taliban and demand for their release.
An American citizen, Faye Hall, was also detained alongside the Reynolds couple. She was released last week after the Trump administration lifted bounties worth $10m (£7.8m) from the heads of senior Taliban figures.
Find Out More...