British couple ‘dying’ in Afghan prison, warns woman held by Taliban

An American woman has told the Taliban, along with a British BBC, that they were “literally” in prison and that “the time runs out.”

Fay Hall was arrested with Peter, 80, and Paribi Reynolds, 76 on February 1 upon his return to Bamian Province, Afghanistan, where the couple lived.

While Mrs. Hall was It was released after two monthsPeter and Barbie remain in prison and still do not know why they were detained.

The Foreign Ministry (FCDO) said it was supporting the family of a couple held in Afghanistan.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast in her first interview since her release, Mrs. Hall collapsed in crying when she was asked what she wanted to tell the couple.

“I love them, and I know that they will come out soon, never give up.”

The master and Mrs. Reynolds married Kabul in 1970 and lived in Afghanistan for 18 years before their arrest – the reason that was not confirmed despite four court appearances.

The husband had an Afghan nationality and managed a charitable program in the country, and the Taliban agreed to it when he took power in 2021.

Mrs. Hall said that the collection, which also included a translator, was transferred from Kabul to Bamian County in a special rented plane when it was stopped at a examination point.

Then they spent days on the road between the police and prisons.

The circumstances in which they were seized, including narrow cells, and the maximum security prison, described “killers”, described the barbed wire and where the guards carry a machine gun.

She warned that their health had quickly deteriorated in prison, as Barbie lost a great weight and is unable to stand or walk on one occasion.

She also warned that Peter was more ill, despite receiving medications from the Qatari government, which he requested daily after undergoing heart surgery and cancer treatment.

“We have only these elderly people, they die literally, and time runs out.”

She emphasized that the circumstances were affecting mental and physical losses, because “every day you do not know where it will be tomorrow.”

“It is not a healthy environment and we were the only foreigners there,” she added.

The husband was previously told BBC They are afraid that they will die in prisonWith a warning that Peter suffered from serious cramps and that Barbie was a “numbness” of anemia and malnutrition.

In July, the United Nations warned that the couple could perish “in such humiliating circumstances” if they did not receive medical care at one time, describing their detention “inhuman”.

Mrs. Hall invited the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom to “work together” and do more to secure the husband’s issuance.

“We support the family of two British citizens detained in Afghanistan. The minister met the family to discuss the case.

The UK closed its embassy in Kabul and withdrew its diplomat from the country after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

FCDo says that the support of British citizens in Afghanistan is “severely limited” and provides advice against all travel to the country.

A US State Department spokesman said that the Taliban had “a history of non -fair foreigners.”

“They must end their practice of hostage diplomacy permanently and launch all those who have been immediately detained immediately.”

The Taliban Foreign Minister said in July that Barbie and Peter are “in constant contact with their families” and that the efforts made to secure their release, but “these steps have not been completed yet.”

“Their human rights are respected. They are granted full access to treatment, communication and accommodation.”