British couple held by Taliban are ‘literally dying’ in prison former fellow captive warns

A woman who was arrested by the Taliban alongside an elderly British couple has warned that they are “literally dying” in prison.

Faye Hall was arrested with Peter, 80, and Barbie Reynolds, 76, by the Taliban in February, when they were returning to the couple’s home in Bamyan province in central Afghanistan.

Ms Hall, an American woman, spent two months alongside Ms Reynolds in prison before she was released as part of a negotiated agreement facilitated by Qatari officials.

However, she has warned “time is running out” for the elderly couple, who still remain in prison without knowing why they are being held.

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"We just have these elderly people, they’re literally dying, and time is running out,” Ms Hall said, as she described the harsh conditions they were held in.

She said she witnessed the couple’s health deteriorate rapidly whilst in prison, where she said they slept on used mats on the floor in cramped cells.

Ms Hall said Ms Reynolds had lost a significant amount of weight and was one day unable to stand or walk.

She has now pleaded to US president Donald Trump and the UK government to work together to do more to push for the release of the couple.

Asked if she had a message for them, she said: “I love them, I know they will be out very soon, don’t ever give up.”

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The Reynoldses have spent seven and a half months in detention without being charged and were held separately in a maximum-security prison until late May.

They were then transferred to the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), with the promise of release within two to three days, but this has gone on for months.

The British couple had been living in Afghanistan for the past 18 years, running education and training projects and decided to remain in the country even after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

The UN has called their detention “inhumane”, and the Foreign Office told the BBC it has met with their family to discuss the case.

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Their children have spoken previously about fears they have for their parents’ health. Mr Reynolds, who has suffered heart attacks in the past, appears to have developed some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, according to his son Jonathan.

He said in July that his father had experienced shaking in his hands, arms and face “to the point he was on the floor and he couldn’t get up”.

He added that his mother’s hands and feet were going blue, due to “malnutrition and some kind of anaemia.”

He added: “The reality is they may die in that prison, and this is why I’m pleading with whoever has the ability to release them and bring them home now.”

In July, the Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, rejected allegations of mistreatment regarding the couple, claiming they are “in constant contact with their families” and their “human rights are being respected”.