Overview

• Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told reporters that efforts to secure Peter and Barbie Reynolds’ release are ongoing and that their human rights are being respected
• The Reynolds, both in their 70s, have been held without formal charges in Kabul since their arrest in Bamiyan province on February 1
• U.N. human rights experts report that Peter’s heart condition, eye infections, tremors and recent collapse and Barbie’s anaemia and weakness put them at risk of death without prompt treatment
• U.K. Foreign Office officials conducted a welfare visit on July 17 and say they continue to support the couple’s family despite the U.K. not formally recognizing the Taliban government
• Family members and U.N. experts are calling for transparency in Taliban detention procedures and for the couple’s immediate humanitarian release