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UN human rights experts have warned that an elderly British couple detained in Afghanistan may die in “degrading conditions” as they demand they be moved to hospital for medical treatment.
Peter and Barbie Reynolds, aged 80 and 75, have been detained by the Taliban without charges in Afghanistan, where they lived, since February and their health has rapidly deteriorated.
In a statement released on Monday, the UN experts said they saw “no reason why this older couple should be detained at all, and have requested an immediate review of the grounds of their detention”.
The group, which includes the UN special rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, said: “It is inhumane to keep them locked up in such degrading conditions and more worrying when their health is so fragile. Our first demand is their immediate transfer to a civilian hospital for medical treatment.”
The couple were imprisoned in a maximum-security facility and in underground cells without sunlight before being moved to above-ground cells last week. The experts said their “physical and mental health is deteriorating rapidly” and that “without access to adequate medical care, they are at risk of irreparable harm or even death”.
They said Peter Reynolds recently collapsed and had had two eye infections and intermittent tremors in his head and down his left arm since being jailed. They said he needed heart medication after suffering a transient ischemic attack in 2023 and there were “grave concerns” about his wellbeing. His children said there had been a recurrence of skin cancer on his face, which would require urgent treatment.
The group said Barbie Reynolds had anaemia and “remains weak and frail, potentially caused by months of poor quality and quantity of food”. She has reported that her feet have become numb.
The couple have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years, where they founded a research and training business.
The UN group said the Reynolds had been deprived of liberty in very difficult conditions without proper legal proceedings, no access to effective legal assistance or medical care and only limited contact with their family by telephone. “The psychological toll on their health from not knowing why they are being held or when they are to be released is cruel treatment,” they said.
The couple, who recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary, have four children, who live in the UK and the US. On Sunday they issued a plea for their parents to be released “before it is too late”.
