At Kabul International Airport, we watched as a string of Afghan, Qatari and British officials walked into a building by the runway, alongside doctors.
On the runway a plane waited, the steps ready for what appeared to be an imminent departure. We had heard from our sources about the possible release of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, the elderly British couple detained in February, but we had no official confirmation yet.
Then, from behind a double door, I caught the eye of Barbie. The 76-year old smiled at me – her face seemingly bright with relief. Her husband, Peter, 80, then stepped into frame. A tall gentle looking man, his eyes looked filled with emotion.
Their relief and gratitude was immediately apparent. It was of course impossible to know what state their health was in, but they appeared alert and composed, despite nearly eight months in detention.
The couple’s son, Jonathan, had previously said his father had been suffering serious convulsions and his mother was “numb” from anaemia and malnutrition. The UN had also described their conditions as “inhumane”. But today, as he prepared to leave the country, Peter wouldn’t be drawn on the conditions he faced. “We’re just very thankful, very thankful,” he told me.
Barbie, who spent part of her detention in a separate facility, looked strikingly calm – a graceful and understated demeanour. “We’ve been treated very well,” she said as she made her way to the plane. Taliban officials maintained they received adequate medical care in prison and their human rights were respected.
The couple’s four children campaigned carefully but consistently for their release. “We’re looking forward to seeing our children,” Barbie told me with a wide beam. I asked if she had a message for family and friends. “God is good as they say here in Afghanistan,” she declared.
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And despite their surprise detention, she hoped they would be back. “Will you return to Afghanistan?” I asked. “Oh yes, if we can,” she said. “We are Afghan citizens.”
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What happened
The couple have been together since the 1960s and married in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in 1970. They have lived in the country for 18 years and ran an organisation called Rebuild, which provides education and training programmes for women and children.
They have been described by family as having a lifelong love of Afghanistan. After the Taliban seized control in August 2021 and many other Westerners left, they decided to stay. They were arrested on their way home to Bamiyan. The Taliban has said the couple broke Afghanistan law. But after the couple faced four court proceedings, no charges were ever brought.
In a statement today, Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said: “Two British nationals named Peter and Barbara Reynolds, who had violated the laws of Afghanistan, were released from custody today following the judicial process. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not view the issues of its nationals from a political or bargaining perspective.”
Both the UK and Qatari officials were keen to express their deep gratitude to Afghanistan’s leadership for releasing the Reynolds. Richard Lindsay, Special Envoy to Afghanistan said it was a “very great humanitarian day”. But he acknowledged he did not know on what grounds the couple were held.
The Qataris appeared to play a critical role in negotiating with the Afghan authorities. They said they were able to ensure medical assistance was provided and enable the couple to communicate with their families. “The release of Barbie and Peter Reynolds shows that when two parties are committed to reaching an agreement, Qatar’s mediators will find a way to achieve it,” one Qatari official told Sky News,
In 2022, the Taliban banned Afghan women from working for NGOs. What led up to the arrest of the Reynolds, who dedicated so much of their lives to running an NGO is still unclear. But for their family, today is a day they had longed for.
