An American woman detained by the Taliban alongside a British couple has told the BBC they are literally dying in prison and that time is running out. Faye Hall was arrested with Peter, 80, and Barbie Reynolds, 76 on 1 February when returning to Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, where the couple lived. While Ms Hall was released after two months, Peter and Barbie remain in prison and still do not know why they are being held.
The Foreign Office (FCDO) said it was supporting the family of a couple being held in Afghanistan. Speaking to BBC Breakfast in her first interview since being released, Ms Hall broke down in tears when asked what she would like to tell the couple. I love them, I know they will be out very soon, don't ever give up.
Mr and Mrs Reynolds married in Kabul in 1970 and had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years prior to their arrest— the reason for which has not been confirmed despite four court appearances. The pair had Afghan citizenship and ran a charity programme in the country, approved by the Taliban when they took power in 2021. Ms Hall described the conditions in which they had been held, including cramped cells in a maximum security prison holding murderers, fenced with barbed wire and where guards carried machine guns.
She warned that their health had rapidly deteriorated in prison, with Barbie losing significant weight and unable to stand or walk on one occasion. She also cautioned that Peter had been getting sicker despite receiving medication from the Qatari government, which he required daily after undergoing heart surgery and cancer treatment. We just have these elderly people, they're literally dying, and time is running out.
Ms Hall called on the US and UK governments to work together and do more to secure the pair's release. The FCDO stated it supports the families of the detained British nationals but highlighted that its ability to intervene is severely limited given the closure of the UK embassy in Kabul after the Taliban's return to power in 2021.
The Foreign Office (FCDO) said it was supporting the family of a couple being held in Afghanistan. Speaking to BBC Breakfast in her first interview since being released, Ms Hall broke down in tears when asked what she would like to tell the couple. I love them, I know they will be out very soon, don't ever give up.
Mr and Mrs Reynolds married in Kabul in 1970 and had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years prior to their arrest— the reason for which has not been confirmed despite four court appearances. The pair had Afghan citizenship and ran a charity programme in the country, approved by the Taliban when they took power in 2021. Ms Hall described the conditions in which they had been held, including cramped cells in a maximum security prison holding murderers, fenced with barbed wire and where guards carried machine guns.
She warned that their health had rapidly deteriorated in prison, with Barbie losing significant weight and unable to stand or walk on one occasion. She also cautioned that Peter had been getting sicker despite receiving medication from the Qatari government, which he required daily after undergoing heart surgery and cancer treatment. We just have these elderly people, they're literally dying, and time is running out.
Ms Hall called on the US and UK governments to work together and do more to secure the pair's release. The FCDO stated it supports the families of the detained British nationals but highlighted that its ability to intervene is severely limited given the closure of the UK embassy in Kabul after the Taliban's return to power in 2021.
