Peter Reynolds, a British citizen held in Taliban custody, has described his prison conditions as “hell.” Speaking from Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul, Reynolds said the environment is extremely harsh, with guards constantly shouting and beating inmates.
“It’s a horrible atmosphere,” he told the Daily Mail. “The nearest thing to hell I can imagine.”
The 79-year-old is being held with violent criminals, including a man who murdered his wife and three children. Despite the circumstances, Reynolds has urged his family not to pay any ransom. In phone calls shared with The Sunday Times, he said that even millions of dollars would not change the situation. He insisted the Taliban must acknowledge their mistake.
Reynolds also expressed concern for his 75-year-old wife, Barbie, who is detained in the women’s section of the same prison. The couple have asked for daily visitation rights, but these requests have been repeatedly denied.
The Taliban arrested the couple in February while they were returning to their home in Bamiyan. They are accused of carrying forged passports. Both were brought separately to court in Kabul, but after a four-hour wait, the hearing was cancelled. No new date has been announced.
Their youngest son, Jonathan Reynolds—an American citizen—spoke in a video outside the White House, appealing to former President Donald Trump for help. He said his parents are being held without charges. Jonathan highlighted that the family has lived in the US for 26 years and that Peter and Barbie have 13 American children and grandchildren.
He also pointed to the recent release of Faye Hall, a US citizen arrested with the Reynolds couple, in a deal made with the American government.
According to The Telegraph, the couple may have become pawns in an internal Taliban power struggle. Their arrest was reportedly ordered by a commander from the Haqqani network.
A senior Taliban official told the newspaper: “This is part of a broader plan to sideline [leader Hibatullah Akhundzada] and position Haqqani as a more West-facing figure by releasing foreign nationals.”
Peter and Barbie Reynolds married in Kabul in 1970 and have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years. They hold dual British-Afghan citizenship and founded Rebuild, an organisation delivering educational programmes for both governmental and non-governmental institutions.
