RASC News Agency: Peter Reynolds, a British citizen currently imprisoned by the Taliban, has described the conditions inside the group’s detention facilities as nothing short of hell. In harrowing detail, Reynolds portrayed his incarceration as a horrifying ordeal, stating that the environment is so inhumane and psychologically tormenting that “only hell could resemble it.” He revealed that prison guards frequently scream and assault inmates with metal rods, cultivating an atmosphere of terror and despair.
In a report released Saturday, April 6, Reynolds disclosed that he is being held alongside dangerous criminals, including rapists and murderers among them, a man who brutally killed his wife and three children. Speaking from Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul during a phone call with the media, Reynolds urged his family not to pay any ransom, asserting that even millions of dollars would not change his fate. He emphasized that the Taliban must acknowledge their grave error in detaining him. Reynolds also voiced deep concern for his wife, Barbie, who is being held in the women’s section of the same prison. The couple has repeatedly requested permission to see each other, but all such requests have been denied.
Peter, 79, and Barbie, 75, were arrested by the Taliban in February while returning to their home in Bamiyan. The Taliban have accused the couple of possessing forged passports. Although they were separately transported to court in Kabul, the hearings never took place despite hours of waiting. To date, no clear information has been provided regarding their release. Their son and grandson recently appeared in a video filmed outside the White House, appealing directly to Donald Trump for assistance in securing the couple’s release. Jonathan Reynolds, their U.S.-born son, told the media on Wednesday that his parents have been imprisoned without charge. He pointed out that while Faye Hall, an American national detained alongside the Reynolds, was released following an agreement with the U.S. government, his parents remain behind bars.
Jonathan stressed that his parents are the grandparents of thirteen children and the parents of an American citizen, urging Trump to intervene on humanitarian grounds. The Telegraph earlier reported that the couple may have become pawns in an internal power struggle within the Taliban. According to the investigation, their arrest was ordered by a commander affiliated with the Haqqani network. A senior Taliban official told the newspaper that the Reynolds were detained as leverage an attempt to extract concessions from the U.S. and British governments and exert pressure on Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
“They are now satisfied,” the official claimed, “because the United States has withdrawn its bounty on Sirajuddin Haqqani. Now they’re waiting for concessions from the British.” Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who were married in Kabul in 1970, have spent 18 years living in Afghanistan. The couple holds dual British and Afghanistani citizenship and are the founders of “Rebuild,” a development organization that delivers educational programs for governmental and non-governmental institutions across the country.
