The daughter of a British teacher arrested with his wife in Afghanistan has warned her father needs vital heart medication.
Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were detained by the Taliban they travelled to their home in the country’s Bamyan province on February 1.
The couple were arrested along with Faye Hall, a friend from the US who had rented a plane to travel with them, and a translator from the couple’s Rebuild training business.
Daughter, Sarah Entwistle, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, told The Sunday Times: “My mother is 75 and my father almost 80 and needs his heart medication after a mini-stroke. They were just trying to help the country they loved.”
Ms Entwistle and her three brothers pleaded for their parents to be released in a letter to their Taliban captors.
They wrote: “We do not understand the reasons behind their arrest. They have communicated their trust in you, and that as Afghan citizens they will be treated well.”
“Our parents have consistently expressed their commitment to Afghanistan, stating they would rather sacrifice their lives than become part of ransom negotiations or be traded.”
It is understood the couple’s family did not want the British Government to get involved with the case.
An employee at Rebuild said the Reynolds and their fellow travellers were told their flight “did not co-ordinate with the local government”. They added that three have been imprisoned in Kabul.
The worker also said Mr Reynolds has been denied access to heart medication, adding his condition is “not good”.
They said: “The Taliban found no wrongdoing by Peter or the Rebuild organisation, yet they imprisoned them without any crime or guilt.
“It seems if Peter and Barbie are not released soon, Peter may lose his life because he needs medication, and the Taliban are not allowing him it.”
Describing the British couple, the employee said: “They are the most honourable people I have ever met in my life.
“Peter and Barbie are very dear to us, but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. We can’t even visit them in prison.
“Since US financial aid to the Taliban has been cut off, the Taliban are trying to take foreign hostages to gain concessions from western governments.”
The Taliban banned women from working, leaving the house without a male chaperone and education for girls older than 12 when they seized power in August 2021.
Women have also been banned from accessing healthcare from men at a time when they have been forbidden from working.
