An older British couple who were arrested by the Taliban for 'teaching good parenting skills to mothers' will be released as soon as possible', was reported yesterday.
Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were both arrested on 1 February upon return to their house in the Bamiyan province Bamiyan.
An official reason for their arrest has not yet been confirmed.
The couple, who married Kabul in 1970, had been training schools in the country for 18 years, including for mothers and children. Despite Taliban restrictions, their education was reportedly approved by local authorities.
Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, from Northhamptonshire, insisted that her parents 'just tried to help the country they loved'.
Taliban officer Abdul Mateen Qani told the BBC in a statement that a series of considerations is taken into account and after evaluation we will try to release them as quickly as possible. '
An employee of the training activities of the couple said they had been arrested alongside an American friend, Faye Hall, who had rented an airplane to travel with them, and a translator of the reconstruction activities of the couple, interviewed with employees if they were involved in Religious proselitization '.
Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were held when they traveled to their house in the province of Bamyan from the country on 1 February
The rebuilding employee said the group was told that their flight “was not coordinated with the local government,” adding that the three were captured in Kabul.
Mr. Reynolds is refused access to heart medication and his condition is 'not good', according to the employee.
They said: 'The Taliban found no misconduct by Peter or the rebuilding organization, but they caught them without any crime or guilt.
“It seems that if Peter and Barbie are not released quickly, Peter can lose his life because he needs medication and the Taliban does not allow him.”
The employee described the British couple, said: 'They are the most honorable people I have ever met in my life.
'Peter and Barbie are very dear to us, but unfortunately we can do nothing. We can't even visit them in prison.
The employee said that all reconstructors were 'in danger' and 'most of them are displaced and live in hiding'.
The couple, who married Kabul in 1970, had been training schools in the country for 18 years, including for mothers and children. Despite Taliban restrictions, their education was reportedly approved by the local authorities
Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds have carried out school training programs for 18 years and remained in the country after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
The couple, who originally met at the University of Bath, married in Kabul in 1970.
Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, from Daventry, Northmeltonshire, told The Sunday Times: 'My mother is 75 and my father almost 80 and needs his heart medication after a mini stroke.
“They just tried to help the country they loved.”
After taking power, the Taliban introduced a ban on women who work and education for girls older than 12.
Since then, criminals from his ministry have had for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice -oriented educational providers and activists.
One of them, Matiullah Wesa, was arrested in March and her place of residence remains unknown.
Although the Taliban has not released a list of penalties for anyone involved in supporting women's education, it is said that forced disappearances have become 'usual'.
The Reynolds have double citizenship and run five schools in Kabul, including a training program of mothers and children who are reportedly approved by the authorities.
Taliban security personnel stands a guard as a woman lined by Burqa walks along a street in the province of Badakhshan
Mrs Entwistle and her three brothers have written an open letter to the Taliban who calls on their mother and father to be released.
They wrote: 'We do not understand the reasons behind their arrest.
“They have communicated their confidence in you, and that they are treated well as Afghan citizens.”
It is understood that the family of the couple did not want the British government to become involved in the case.
In their letter to the Taliban, Mrs. Entwistle and her brothers and sisters wrote: “Our parents consistently pronounced their dedication to Afghanistan, and stated that they would rather sacrifice their lives than to be part of ransom negotiations or are traded.”
The foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office refused to comment.
The couple met while studying at Bath University, where Barbie achieved a BSC level in sociology and psychology.
Since the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, women have gradually erased from the public spaces, as a result of which the United Nations denounces the 'gender apartiness' that has established the administration.
Taliban hunters who work as a police patrol part of the capital, Kabul
The authorities of the Taliban have proven post-primary education for girls and women, limited employment and access to parks and other public places.
In October the Taliban forbade women to hear the voices of other women in a cruel rule that led to the fear that women can no longer talk to each other.
The Minister of Afghanistan for the promotion of virtue and prevention of Vice, Khalid Hanafi, said at the time: 'Even when a female woman prays and another woman passes by, she should not pray loudly enough to hear.
'How can they sing if they are not even allowed to hear [each other’s] Voting during praying, let alone for something else. '
