British couple imprisoned by Taliban faced 29 ‘interrogations’ for unknown charges

A British couple imprisoned in Afghanistan have faced 29 ‘interrogations’ by the Taliban and several court appearances, their daughter has said.

Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested as they travelled to their home in the central Bamyan province in February.

No charges have been brought against the husband and wife, who run the organisation Rebuild, which provides education and training programmes.

They were detained alongside Faye Hall, a US citizen who had rented a jet to travel with them, and a translator.

Their daughter, Susie Romer, told Channel 5’s 5 News on Thursday that the pair had ‘absolutely no idea’ why they are being imprisoned.

She urged the UK government to do more to secure their release, adding: ‘They have been through so many investigations.

‘I believe it is 29 interrogations that they’ve had to endure. They have been in court three or four times now, I believe, and various accusations that have been brought against them, they have been thoroughly investigated and shown up as empty accusations.

‘So they have been told that there is not actually a charge against them.’

Kabul Frontline previously reported that the Reynolds were arrested after obtaining Afghan national ID and passports during the former government.

Mufti Abdul Matin Qani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, said: ‘The investigation is focused on determining the legality of their citizenship acquisition.’

Romer went on to say that while the British government has been assisting the family, she is not convinced that the message that her parents should be ‘immediately released’ has been conveyed.

She said the family had met Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer, who had told them the case was a ‘priority’ for him.

‘We do want the government to make it clear to the Taliban that my parents should be immediately released and we’ve told them this,’ she said.

‘It has been 10 weeks now, and we have not been reassured that this message has been conveyed, but this is really urgent.

‘Each day that they remain in prison, they’re at risk, so we’ll keep on asking the government to send that message.’

Last month, the Reynolds were moved to a maximum security prison in the capital, Kabul.

They are being held separately in prison and Peter’s health has deteriorated while detained.

Romer added that the conditions her parents were being held in were ‘absolutely horrific’, that they were receiving one meal per day and there were mice and cockroaches ‘running around’.

She said that hearing them ‘weep’ on the phone was ‘excruciating’ for her.

Romer told BBC Breakfast that while her father had received much-needed medication, her mother faced growing health concerns.

‘We have recently heard mum is anaemic and really weak and frail,’ she said. ‘We’re obviously really concerned about both of them and their health.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.