A BRITISH pensioner held hostage by the Taliban has described Afghanistan’s most notorious prison as “the nearest thing to hell”.

Peter Reynolds, 79, also raised concerns about his wife Barbie, 76, who is also being held at the maximum security jail.

The couple have been held at Kabul’s Pul-e-Charkhi jail for more than nine weeks after being detained by the Taliban on February 1.

In a payphone recording shared with The Sunday Times, Peter described the horrific conditions inside the jail.

Peter recounted, “I’ve been shackled alongside individuals accused of heinous crimes, including a man convicted of murdering his wife and three children, who’s been screaming as if possessed.”

He continued: “The atmosphere is pretty shocking. I am learning a lot about the underbelly of Afghanistan.

“The prison guards shout all the time and beat people with a piece of piping.

“It’s a horrible atmosphere — the nearest thing to hell I can imagine.”

Peter added that he has lost weight while in the jail as he receives just one meal a day.

The meal is usually naan bread and chickpeas, with green tea for breakfast.

Recently, an attorney associated with the European Union mission was able to deliver vital medication to the Briton after he exhausted his supply of necessary heart medication and beta-blockers.

Peter described his living quarters as “a cage rather than a cell”.

But he added that his quarters are “VIP conditions” compared to those for women.

Barbie is in the women’s quarters of the prison, and has not seen her husband once since they were arrested.

The couple both ask every day for permission to meet but so far this has not been granted.

The duo is eager to be freed, yet Peter has insisted his family refrain from paying any ransom, urging instead for an apology from the Taliban for their wrongful detention.

He said: “No money should be paid in hush money or hostage money, it doesn’t solve anything if millions of dollars are paid.”

“This government needs to face up to the fact it has made a mistake, it has done wrong.

“If money is paid there is nothing to stop them arresting people again.”

Peter and Barbie were arrested on February 1 along with their interpreter, Jaya, and a visiting Chinese-American friend, Faye Hall.

The group was detained after flying in a small plane from Kabul to an airstrip near their home in the central province of Bamiyan.

Hall was released on March 27 following a court order.

Following her release the American citizen heaped praises for president Trump.

Hall said in a video posted by Trump on Truth Social: “I’ve never been so proud to be an American citizen. Thank you, Mr President.”

But her release was not such good news for Peter, who is increasingly concerned for his elderly wife.

Peter’s son Jonathon broke the news to his dad last week on a call.

Peter said: “Oh no, so Mum’s on her own. Oh my, oh my goodness, and they won’t let me see her, that’s terrible news.”

The British couple have still not had any charges issued against them and no explanation for their arrest has been given.

It was previously thought that they had been arrested for reportedly teaching parenting skills to mothers.

But the Taliban later claimed the arrest of a British couple in Afghanistan was due to a “misunderstanding”.

The group added that they were aiming to release the Brits “as soon as possible” – but so far no progress has been made.

Peter and Barbie ran five schools in Kabul, including a mother and children training school which was reportedly approved by The Taliban.

Unlike most foreigners, the pair remained in the country after the Taliban retook power in August 2021.

According to their family, they had experienced no previous problems with the regime.

And Barbie even became the first woman to be recognised – with a certificate of appreciation from the Taliban regime.