Is Germany turning to the far-right? Inside the country’s battle for power
A battle for power is raging in Germany.
For the first time since the Second World War, a far-right party is expected to come second in a federal election and the country is divided.
“I come from Jewish heritage so I’m really worried about the safety of my family,” says Shoshana.
“I don’t want to believe that 20% of Germany is extremist,” adds Christian.
In Berlin, protesters march against the AfD
Shoshana and Christian are among hundreds of thousands of people who have taken part in demonstrations against the far-right in the run-up to the vote on 23 February.
But if polling is correct, around 20% of voters disagree – instead believing the Alternative for Germany Party or AfD offers Germans the best future.
Anti-AfD protesters rally in Berlin
So in the run-up to what’s expected to be a historic result, I decided to go on a journey through the AfD heartland to find out why some German voters are turning to the far-right.
In Saxony, the tension is palpable
On a chilly February morning under a bright blue sky, we head towards Saxony, our first stop.
It’s a state around two hours’ drive from Berlin in east Germany.
The far-right AfD is holding a rally there and we want to speak to supporters to find out what’s attracting them to the party.
There are four main parties dominating the current polls.
In the lead at the moment, the conservative block is made up of the party of former chancellor Angela Merkel, the Christian Democrats (CDU), and their Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) allies.
Their pick as the next chancellor, and the man widely expected to get the job, is Friedrich Merz.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is fielding Olaf Scholz for another term as chancellor.
Their coalition partners the Greens have nominated Robert Habeck.
But the AfD is the party coming in second in most polls.
Posters of AfD co-chairperson Alice Weidel stood in the hall
A party dogged by allegations of racism, Islamophobia and right-wing extremism, all of which it denies, is currently on track to get its best-ever results.
Its chancellor candidate is the former banker Alice Weidel, who lives in Switzerland with her wife and kids.
Under her leadership, the party has been endorsed by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who claimed: “You’re the best hope for Germany.”
AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla holds a rally in Saxony
It’s Weidel’s right-hand man, Tino Chrupalla, who’s holding the rally we are heading to, but when we arrive his opponents are ready and waiting.
Anti-AfD protesters gather outside an AfD rally in Saxony
A loud and agitated group of anti-AfD protesters have surrounded the building where the rally will take place.
Many wave signs accusing the party of being Nazis or fascists.
Anti-AfD protester and teacher Navina says she doesn’t want to live under a fascist regime
The AfD in Saxony has been officially designated as a far-right extremist group by the authorities but it’s still the state’s most popular party.
That terrifies some.
“I don’t want to have the AfD. I don’t want to live in a fascist regime,” says teacher Navina, who has joined the demonstration.
Germany’s Nazi history makes the discussion extremely sensitive.
The party rejects being called fascist, as well as opponents’ claims it will lead the country back towards a dark past.
It says it offers Germany a future.
Navina vehemently disagrees.
“They have no solutions. They just say if there’s less migration then everything will be fine,” she explains.
‘Society is so divided’
As the start of the AfD rally draws closer, the atmosphere becomes more tense.
A number of anti-AfD protesters have been hauled out of the crowd by the police and are being held by a fence.
Anti-AfD protesters gather outside an AfD rally in Saxony
Officers have parked a line of vans between supporters and opponents to keep them apart while covered black plastic screens have been erected to stop the two sides from seeing each other.
Even in AfD strongholds like Saxony, the tension is palpable.
Opponents know it’s unlikely the AfD will get into government as it isn’t predicted to get a majority and a so-called “firewall” against the far-right means no other party has agreed to work with it, but the fact a far-right party is polling second in Germany angers many here.
One of the key flashpoints is the debate around migration.
The AfD wants much stricter controls which would include mass deportations.
At the party conference in January, Alice Weidel spoke of “large-scale repatriations” to a delighted crowd.
“And I have to be honest with you: if it’s going to be called remigration, then that’s what it’s going to be: remigration,” she said.
Remigration is a buzzword among Europe’s far-right.
Last year, around a million Germans demonstrated after it was revealed some AfD members attended a meeting where the Austrian leader of the far-right Identitarian movement, Martin Sellner, reportedly proposed a project of “remigration” which would see “unassimilated” immigrants forced to leave Germany even if they had citizenship.
While Weidel distanced herself from the meeting, and the party has previously said it has no plans to kick out people with German passports, critics say the idea has echoes of mass deportations of the Nazi era.
Anti-AfD protester Richard in Saxony
Back at the protest, Richard tells me he thinks migrants are being scapegoated by the party. “It’s not a Syrian refugee’s fault that my wages are short or that crime is high,” he says.
Suddenly we are interrupted by Robert who is trying to get to the AfD rally.
It’s immediately clear just how divided voters are.
“I agree with the deportation thing because we definitely have too many foreigners and there’s too much violence,” Robert says.
He’s worried voters are so polarised that the country is heading towards “a situation of civil war”.
“Society is so divided into two parties there’s so much hate and so much violence, I have never seen a situation like this before,” he says.
Robert says Germany has too many foreigners and ‘there’s too much violence’
‘We are being persecuted’
With that warning, we make our way into the hall where the AfD meeting is being held.
The foyer is filled with party flyers. Paper mugs bear their logo.
Upstairs, a crowd is enthusiastically listening to co-leader Tino Chrupalla’s speech.
Burly security guards keep an eye out for trouble, but aside from one heckler, the audience is adoring.
The crowd gives AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla a standing ovation
The standing ovation at the end suggests people agree with what they have heard but when we approach an audience member for an interview, he asks we keep his face hidden.
Peter tells us that he’s worried being identified as an AfD supporter could have repercussions.
“We are being persecuted by people like ANTIFA outside and they are not really democrats because they don’t accept different opinions,” he explains.
He says he is in favour of closing the borders and deporting criminals and believes Germany has become so unsafe that if nothing changes he will leave the country.
AfD supporters gathered to listen to Tino Chrupalla in Saxony
Migration isn’t what triggered the election but it’s now dominating the debate.
Just over a week before the vote, the issue was reignited when a car was driven into trade union protesters in Munich, killing a mother and her two-year-old daughter, and injuring others. The suspect is a 24-year-old Afghan national. His asylum application was rejected, but he had not been forced to leave due to security concerns in Afghanistan and he was in Germany legally with a work permit.
This was the latest in a number of alleged attacks carried out by migrant suspects.
In December, six people died and hundreds were injured after a Saudi doctor was accused of mowing down crowds at a Christmas market in Magdeburg.
The next day, as the city mourned, around a thousand members of the far-right rallied.
“Asylum seekers out,” they shouted as they marched behind a banner saying “remigration”.
Saxony-Anhalt: ‘Germany has radically changed’
Magdeburg is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt where around 31% of voters support the AfD.
As we arrive in the city, we meet Syrian-born Zaid.
He’s lived here for more than a decade but says since the Christmas market attack a division has opened up.
People outside Magdeburg Cathedral following a memorial service for victims of the Christmas Market attack. File pic: AP
He runs through a list of assaults that he’s heard of in the last few weeks – including a migrant attacked at a bus stop or one of their children assaulted in a lift.
“People are very afraid,” he says.
Zaid says divisions have opened up in Germany since a fatal attack on a Christmas market in December
The AfD held their own rally in Magdeburg after the Christmas market attack.
The rally’s organisers attempted to mobilise mourners behind an anti-migrant, anti-Muslim message while inaccurately claiming the suspect was an Islamic extremist.
Satish could hear the crowd from his restaurant.
He isn’t an AfD voter but on some points, he agrees with the party’s message. “Germany is well aware that you have to integrate, you have to bring skills here,” he says. “Immigrants should not be a threat to your country, there you have to draw a line.”
Satish moved to Germany from India in 2008
Satish moved to Germany from India in 2008.
In 2015, in response to the migrant crisis, the then chancellor Angela Merkel opened the country’s doors to around a million mainly Syrian refugees.
By this point, the AfD – which had initially formed a few years earlier as a eurosceptic, anti-euro party – was increasingly using anti-migrant and anti-Islamic language as it moved further right.
Satish says Germany has radically changed in the decade since the so-called open door policy was announced.
“I won’t say it was a mistake, but it was ignorance. They were ignorant about how the people would respond,” he says.
A recent poll showed around 60% of Germans think the country should take fewer refugees.
The government reinstated temporary border checks last year and while all the main parties have hardened their stance on migration, the CDU wants to go further.
Its plans include making border checks permanent and potentially rejecting some asylum seekers on arrival.
Despite this, the AfD remains the loudest voice on stricter controls.
Like many other populist parties, the AfD is really effective at converting discontent into support.
Feeding on frustrations around migration, the economy or green policies has helped propel them up the polls.
In Thuringia, Elon Musk and Donald Trump get a special mention
No more so than in the state of Thuringia where last year the AfD was the first far-right party since the Second World War to claim victory in a state election.
The AfD is currently leading the current polls here with around 35% of the vote.
A magazine cover shows Elon Musk dressed up as Superman carrying AfD co-leader Alice Weidel
The man who helped lead them to success is Bjoern Hoecke, a former history teacher, who is now arguably Germany’s most successful far-right politician.
He’s anti-immigration, Russia-friendly and eurosceptic.
A man who once called Berlin’s holocaust memorial a “moment of shame” and has twice been found guilty of using a Nazi slogan.
A poster boy for the far-right who opponents label “dangerous” but supporters adore.
Former history teacher Bjoern Hoecke is now arguably Germany’s most successful far-right politician
“When you have no arguments, especially in Germany, then you say Nazis,” says Carolin Lichtenheld, a member of the party’s youth wing when I put this criticism to her.
Carolin has gathered with a few hundred others in a shopping centre conference hall on a freezing Tuesday night to watch Hoecke speak.
In the foyer, party merchandise has been carefully laid out.
One table is a tribute to American and German populist icons: there’s Elon Musk’s biography, a magazine showing Hoecke, next to a couple featuring Donald Trump. The most eye-catching is an edition showing Musk dressed up as Superman carrying Alice Weidel.
An Elon Musk biography stands on the merchandise table of an AfD rally
The leaning towards the Trump administration is an interesting progression for a party whose supporters are often pro-Russia and anti-America.
Hoecke will later tell us that while he doesn’t know him personally, he “appreciates Donald Trump for his fight against wokeness… for his commitment to free speech”.
But before any of that, with every seat in the hall full, it’s time for the main event.
When Hoecke enters the room, cheers and applause erupt from the crowd.
For the next two hours, he and the local candidates lay out their vision for Germany.
Migration, Trump, Musk and Russia all get name-checked.
Many supporters seemed slightly starstruck to meet Bjoern Hoecke
Hoecke, a man who once stood on the fringes of a fringe party, is now central to what’s likely to be the far-right’s most successful federal election since the Second World War.
After the speeches, fans queue up for selfies and autographs with Hoecke.
Many are young men and women who appear slightly starstruck.
This scene should serve as a wake-up call to anyone still questioning the power of populism.
When I put to Hoecke that his opponents call him a fascist and a racist who is a threat to democracy, he brushes it off.
He says the labels come from mainstream parties which he refers to as “a cartel”.
“They’ve merged into a cartel but now a competitor is emerging, a competitor who challenges their power,” he adds.
During his speech, he told the crowd that on the global stage, the political stars are now aligned in the AfD’s favour – with what he claims are administrations in America and Russia who support them.
It’s a new but potentially monumental message.
In the last 12 months, I’ve watched him at several rallies but in this hall, there’s a real feeling from him and his supporters that they’re on the brink of new power.
The extreme right in the ‘heart chamber of democracy’
Keeping an eye on the party’s rise is regional spy chief Stephan Kramer.
His branch of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified Thuringia’s AfD as right-wing extremists.
His team monitors a range of threats – from Islamic extremists to left-wing fundamentalists – but it’s the extreme right that he views as the severest threat to German democracy.
“What we see is that the extreme right has managed to get into what we call ‘the heart chamber of democracy’ and therefore is going after the roots of our democracy in our liberal society,” he says.
Regional spy chief Stephan Kramer is watching the rise of the far-right
The AfD, at state and local level, deny they’re extreme or a threat but Stephan believes this election is the last moment for Germany “to change direction.”
“In the last ten years, the party has grown stronger and stronger. They are still growing, although we have put out the warning signs.
“I’m not saying the Federal Republic of Germany today is the same as the Weimar Republic of 1933, but you see similarities and that are very, very threatening,” Kramer says.
There’s no doubt Germany is divided, but on one point many agree: this election is a pivotal moment in German history.
Will the AfD gain power this time? That’s highly unlikely but they may get enough seats to cause serious disruption in parliament.
And if the next government fails, then the far right could easily seize victory in 2029.
NATO says it has responded after Russian military jets “violated” Estonian airspace, as the Baltic state formally requested a consultation with the military bloc.
In a statement, the Estonian government said the incident involved three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets that flew near Vaindloo Island, in the Gulf of Finland, for a total of 12 minutes without permission.
A NATO spokesperson said the Russian jets “violated Estonian airspace” and “NATO responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft”.
“This is yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and NATO’s ability to respond.”
US President Donald Trump said the reported incursion “could be big trouble”.
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Analysis: Estonia incident is a major violation – Putin is testing NATO’s response
However, a statement from the Russian military said the flight was “scheduled” and had been in “strict accordance” with airspace rules.
The statement read: “On September 19 of this year, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets made a scheduled flight from Karelia to an airfield in the Kaliningrad region.
“The flight was conducted in strict accordance with the International Rules for the Use of Airspace, without violating the borders of other states, as confirmed by objective monitoring means.
“During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed air route and did not violate Estonian airspace. The flight route of the aircraft passed over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea basin at a distance of more than three kilometers from the island of Vaindlo.”
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Romania scrambles fighter jets
Foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said Russia had already violated Estonian airspace four times this year, “which is unacceptable in itself, but today’s violation, during which three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen”.
“Russia’s ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness must be responded to by rapidly strengthening political and economic pressure,” he added.
‘Utterly unacceptable’
Estonia is the third NATO country to report an incursion of its airspace by Russia in recent weeks: On Sunday, Romania said a drone breached its airspace during a Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
Poland also reported an “unprecedented violation” of its airspace by more than a dozen Russian drones last week. Moscow denied responsibility for the incident.
The UK had previously summoned the Russian ambassador in London in response to the “utterly unacceptable” Romanian and Polish incursions.
The Russian defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, its jets routinely fly over the Baltic Sea, where its Baltic Fleet is based.
In the wake of the incident, Estonia requested an Article 4 consultation, which allows NATO members to formally bring an issue to the attention of the North Atlantic Council, to meet and discuss when “the territorial integrity, political independence or security” of any state is threatened.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said that the council will convene early next week to discuss the incident in more detail.
Sweden’s military released images late on Friday that it said showed a Russian fighter jet over the Baltic Sea after it had left Estonian airspace.
Sweden released images said to show a Russian fighter jet that violated Estonian airspace. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Incursion ‘not a coincidence’: Zelenskyy
While incursions over Vaindloo Island, around 124 miles from Estonia’s capital Tallinn, by Russian aircraft are somewhat common, they do not usually last as long as Friday’s incident.
In response, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that the UK “stands with our Estonian allies” after what she called “yet another reckless incursion into NATO airspace”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that the incursion was “unacceptable” and added: “This is not a coincidence.
“It is a systematic Russian campaign against Europe, against NATO, against the West. And it requires a systematic response. Strong actions are necessary, both joint and from each individual country.”
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Mr Trump also commented on the incident during a news conference at the White House, and said he was “going to have a look” at the reports.
After saying he would be briefed on the incursion, he said: “Well, I don’t love it. I don’t love it when that happens. Could be big trouble.”
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Is Russia getting ‘ready for war with NATO’?
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said: “We will respond to every provocation with determination while investing in a stronger Eastern flank.”
She added that “as threats escalate, so too will our pressure”, before calling on European leaders to approve a new round of sanctions which would ban Russian liquified natural gas.
Putin ‘testing the West’s resolve’: EU official
Europe’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also said the “violation of Estonia’s airspace by Russian military aircraft is an extremely dangerous provocation”.
She added that the EU “stands in full solidarity with Estonia”, and said: “We will continue to support our member states in strengthening their defences with European resources.
“Putin is testing the West’s resolve. We must not show weakness.”
Estonia’s government said in May that Russia had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a “shadow fleet” defying Western sanctions on Moscow.
It added that the Russian deputy ambassador was summoned and given a protest note.
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Russia threatening Finland like Ukraine, says thinktank
It comes after analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggested Russia has launched an information campaign against Finland – with echoes of how it built up to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The thinktank noted senior figures in Moscow, including members of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, have been making a series of statements designed to threaten the neighbouring country.
Its analysts said: “High-ranking Kremlin officials have increased threats against Finland in recent weeks, including by using language that mirrors the Kremlin’s false justifications for its invasions of Ukraine.
“ISW continues to assess that the playbook Russia is currently using to threaten NATO mirrors the playbook Russia previously used to set informational conditions justifying its aggression against Ukraine.”
An elderly British couple who have been freed after being detained by the Taliban earlier this year have been reunited with their daughter.
Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were detained by the Taliban’s interior ministry on 1 February as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan.
In March, they were moved to a maximum security prison in Kabul where they had been held without charge.
In the final stages of negotiations they were transferred to Kabul’s central prison.
They were safely released from detention on Friday and flown to Doha following mediation led by Qatar.
As they touched down in Doha, Sky correspondent Sally Lockwood said she saw the “joy” on Mrs Reynolds’ face as her daughter Sarah hugged her on the tarmac.
She told Lockwood it was “wonderful” to have arrived in Qatar.
Peter Reynolds, who was released from Taliban detention in Afghanistan, hugging his daughter Sarah. Pic: Ruters
Peter and Barbie Reynolds walk after disembarking from a plane, in Doha, Qatar. Pic: Reuters
Earlier, Sky correspondent Cordelia Lynch was at Kabul Airport as the freed couple arrived and departed.
Mr Reynolds told her: “We are just very thankful.”
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Detained British couple speak to Sky News
His wife added: “We’ve been treated very well. We’re looking forward to seeing our children.
“We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens.”
Asked by Lynch if they had a message for family and friends, Mrs Reynolds replied: “My message is God is good, as they say in Afghanistan.”
Peter and Barbie Reynolds after their release
Qatari and British diplomats with Barbie and Peter Reynolds on the flight to Doha
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the news in a statement thanking Qatar.
“I welcome the release of Peter and Barbara Reynolds from detention in Afghanistan, and I know this long-awaited news will come as a huge relief to them and their family,” he said.
“I want to pay tribute to the vital role played by Qatar, including The Amir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, in securing their freedom.”
Peter Reynolds was visited by Qatari diplomats last month
Richard Lindsay, the UK’s special envoy to Afghanistan, told Lynch it remained “unclear” on what grounds the couple had been detained.
He said they were “very relieved to be going home and delighted to be reunited with their family”.
Asked about the state of their health, he said: “I am not a doctor, but they are very happy.”
He added the British government’s travel advice to the country was clear. “We advise British nationals not to travel to Afghanistan. That remains the case and will remain the case,” he said.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesperson at the Taliban government’s foreign ministry, said in a statement posted on X that the couple “violated Afghan law” and were released from prison after a court hearing.
He did not say what law the couple were alleged to have broken.
Pic: Sarah Entwistle
Pic: Reynolds family
Qatar, the energy-rich nation on the Arabian Peninsula that mediated talks between the US and the Taliban before the American withdrawal, helped in releasing the Reynolds.
Mirdef Ali Al-Qashouti, acting charge d’affaires at the Qatar Embassy in Kabul, told Lynch that Qatari officials ensured the couple were kept in “comfortable” conditions during talks.
He told Lynch the Reynolds’ release was because of “continuous efforts by my government to keep our policy in helping releasing hostages and our mediation and diplomacy”.
“Throughout their eight months in detention – during which they were largely held separately – the Qatari embassy in Kabul provided them with critical support, including access to their doctor, delivery of medication, and regular communication with their family,” a Qatari official told Reuters news agency.
Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in a statement: “The UK has worked intensively since their detention and has supported the family throughout.
“Qatar played an essential role in this case, for which I am hugely grateful.”
The couple have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years and run an organisation called Rebuild, which provides education and training programmes.
They have been together since the 1960s and married in the Afghan capital in 1970.
Read more from Sky News:
Afghans relocated to UK ‘exaggerating’ Taliban threat
Pic: Reynolds family
Pic: Reynolds family
Their son, Jonathan, told Sky News in April his parents had “never heard one accusation or one charge”.
He said the British government had offered to evacuate them when the Taliban took over, to which they replied: “Why would we leave these people in their darkest hour?”
Mr and Mrs Reynolds are now on their way home, where they will be reunited with their family.
Speaking to Sky News from Wyoming in the United States following their release, Jonathan said he was “excited” to be seeing his parents again, and joked: “I’m a little bit jealous of my dad’s beard.”
“They look really well to me,” he said, “which I’m just delighted about”.
“I am looking forward to putting my arms around them and giving them a big hug, as all of my siblings will be.”
He offered his “special thanks” to all the British and Qatari diplomats involved in his parents’ release.
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‘I’m just so excited to see my parents’
He said the grounds for their detention remained a mystery as they were given no explanation for their arrest.
“They were investigated for all kinds of things but everything came up with no evidence of any wrongdoing,” he said.
“One of them, the original arrest, they said something about flying a drone – my parents don’t own a drone. It’s hard enough trying to get them to know how to use certain new technologies, let alone a drone.
“So, yeah, bizarre things, but I think they were just people of interest and then got caught up in a big, big mess of a situation, and no one knew what to do. But I’m just happy they are home.”
Asked about their desire to return to Afghanistan, he said: “It’s probably not wise to go back to a place where they are not welcome, and I would say, clearly they are not welcome there.”
“They are going to arrive back in the UK with the clothes on their backs. They have sold everything… all of their possessions,” he said, when asked what the future held for his parents.
“Knowing my mum she has probably written a few books in her mind whilst she’s been in captivity.
“We have heard great reports from schools across Afghanistan that the programmes they set up are running really, really well, so they will probably want to continue those,” he added.
World
She smiled and his eyes filled with emotion – the moment the Reynolds were freed by the Taliban
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 “degrading”. 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.
Peter Reynolds arrives in Doha with his daughter Sarah Entwistle following his release. (Picture: Reuters)
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.
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.”
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 educational and leadership programmes, including training for mothers 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.”
Peter and Barbie Reynolds walk after disembarking from a plane, in Doha, Qatar.
Pic: Reuters
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.
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