Muttaqi: Human rights of British detainees fully respected

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) says efforts are underway to release two British nationals detained in Afghanistan as their release process has not yet been completed.

The ministry emphasised that their human rights are being fully respected.

As part of a programme highlighting the achievements of government institutions over the past year, MoFA today (Wednesday) presented its accomplishments for the past solar year.

Acting Foreign Minister Maulvi Amin Khan Muttaqi said efforts continued for the release of two British nationals, but the stages of their release have not been finalised so far.

He said: “They are in regular contact with their families, they are receiving consular services and all their human rights — including access to healthcare, communication and accommodation — are fully taken into account.”

In March 2024, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) announced detaining two British nationals, a Chinese-American citizen and an Afghan colleague, citing “certain considerations” behind their arrest and stated that efforts were underway to resolve the matter.

Seventy-nine-year-old Peter Reynolds and his 75-year-old British wife Barbie were detained in Bamyan province. This development comes after the families of the detained British nationals recently appealed to the IEA for their immediate release.

During the same gathering, Muttaqi also mentioned that a few months ago, a high-ranking delegation from the United States visited Kabul, during which negotiations took place and some detainees were released.

However, other individuals who remain imprisoned are not being used for political leverage by the caretaker government.

He explained: “These are individuals similar to Afghan citizens detained in other countries — some have been released, others have ongoing legal cases, and some may be released in the future. It is not an issue that cannot be resolved, nor is it a dangerous problem.”

Also speaking at the event, Director of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shoaib Baryalai, revealed that over 10,000 Afghan citizens were imprisoned in foreign countries.

He added that the majority of these detainees were held in Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, while others were incarcerated in several Arab countries.

kk/ma