'Chained, shackled, might die there': Son of elderly UK couple jailed in Afghanistan urges hospital treatment for his parents

The British couple, Barbie and Peter Reynolds, have now been imprisoned in Afghanistan for around six months, being put in underground cells and facing fire situations. Their son, Jonathan, stressed that his parents' health has been deteriorating and they need to get to the hospital immediately.

During their time in prison, the elderly couple was even kept in the underground cells, with no sunlight for six weeks. Peter, 80, has been chained and shackled and had convulsions on the floor recently.

Barbie, who is 75 years old, has suffered from malnourishment and has reported that her hands and feet have turned blue.

“There’s a chance they die in there, and it’s escalating pretty fast,” their youngest son, Jonathan, 45, said. “They need to get to the hospital immediately.”

The couple was arrested on February 1, but is being held without any charges. Their family has been trying hard to get the couple out of prison.

Earlier, they were allowed to call their family regularly from prison, but now, for more than a month, there has been no contact.

Barbie and Peter lived in Afghanistan for 18 years, as they ran educational programs and training. Since the Taliban gained control in 2021, they have banned education for girls over 12 years of age.

The United Nations has intervened for the couple and warned them that they might die in "degrading conditions" if they do not receive hospital treatment soon. Last week, officials from the British Foreign Office met with the elderly couple; however, there has been no official confirmation of their release yet.

Earlier, Peter said that he would not leave prison without Joya, an Afghan interpreter who was arrested alongside the couple and has since been released.

“Dad was like: ‘You’ll have to kill me. Do not let him stay in here. He has done nothing wrong,” Jonathan recalled what his dad said. “I think they could have maybe gotten out a lot earlier, but those kinds of demands, although selfless, made it more difficult.”

Jonathan said that some people on social media might have misperceived the case. “I have seen people saying: ‘Let them die there, we’re not using British taxpayer money on this,’” he said.

“But this is not just an emotional plea from some adult kids saying: ‘Somebody help my parents because they were on vacation in a place they shouldn’t have been.’ That’s not what this is …. They know full well the risks, but they are being held in an unjust manner, and they are innocent," Jonathan added.