John Simpson has spoken of his fears for his shut good friend and former BBC cameraman who’s being held captive by the Taliban.

Distinguished British journalist Peter Jouvenal, 64, has been locked in a cell with out being charged or given authorized assist since he was arrested in Kabul two months in the past.

Mr Simpson, the BBC’s world affairs editor, mentioned: ‘Situations are unhealthy. It is bitterly chilly, and all they must eat every day is a bowl of rice, often garnished with beans.

Distinguished British journalist Peter Jouvenal (pictured), 64, has been locked in a cell without being charged or given legal help since he was arrested in Kabul two months ago

Distinguished British journalist Peter Jouvenal (pictured), 64, has been locked in a cell without being charged or given legal help since he was arrested in Kabul two months ago

Distinguished British journalist Peter Jouvenal (pictured), 64, has been locked in a cell with out being charged or given authorized assist since he was arrested in Kabul two months in the past

‘He has no entry to the drugs he wants for hypertension.’

Mr Jouvenal has labored and travelled in Afghanistan for greater than 40 years, is married to an Afghan lady they usually have three kids.

He was with Mr Simpson in 2001 when the reporter, famously disguised in a burka, slipped into Afghanistan they usually turned the primary journalists to indicate the world the final months of Taliban rule.

Mr Jouvenal additionally organized and filmed the primary Western interview with Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, for CNN, in 1997.

Mr Simpson final noticed his good friend in November – three months after the Taliban returned to energy when Western troops left the nation.

Two weeks later, Mr Jouvenal was kidnapped close to the previous British Embassy in Kabul however particulars of his plight had been stored secret amid fears for his security.

The information emerged on Friday when one other former BBC journalist, Andrew North, was taken captive by the Taliban however rapidly launched.

Mr Jouvenal, who’s now a profitable businessman, had reassured household he can be secure.

Courageous: Mr Simpson, left, with Peter Jouvenal in Afghanistan in 2001. Mr Jouvenal also arranged and filmed the first Western interview with Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, for CNN, in 1997

Courageous: Mr Simpson, left, with Peter Jouvenal in Afghanistan in 2001. Mr Jouvenal also arranged and filmed the first Western interview with Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, for CNN, in 1997

Brave: Mr Simpson, left, with Peter Jouvenal in Afghanistan in 2001. Mr Jouvenal additionally organized and filmed the primary Western interview with Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, for CNN, in 1997

One other good friend mentioned: ‘He felt very comfy in Afghanistan, even in a lot worse occasions than this.

‘He was all the time cool as a cucumber in Kabul, as if he had been on the French Riviera – there was no sense of impending hazard.’

The good friend mentioned of his spouse: ‘She’s tortured by it, pondering, ‘Is there one other telephone name I could make that can assist, another person I can contact, one other button I can push to get him out?’ ‘

His family and friends consider he might have been detained in error as he had been overtly working and had frequent conferences with senior Taliban officers.

Overseas Workplace officers have been in a position to see Mr Jouvenal, who has to sleep on the concrete flooring of a tiny cell that’s typically with out gentle due to energy cuts.

JOHN SIMPSON: The Taliban desperately want the assistance of the surface world. They need to now free Peter Jouvenal 

The Taliban’s determination to launch Andrew North, a former BBC correspondent, along with the opposite individuals who had been arrested on the similar time, is a big reduction.

That they had been working in Afghanistan for the UN Excessive Commissioner for Refugees. 

The Taliban management is anxious to maintain in with the UN and different establishments so as to get worldwide assist at a time when the Afghan financial system has collapsed and its persons are ravenous.

The Taliban's decision to release Andrew North (pictured), a former BBC correspondent, together with the other people who were arrested at the same time, is a huge relief

The Taliban's decision to release Andrew North (pictured), a former BBC correspondent, together with the other people who were arrested at the same time, is a huge relief

The Taliban’s determination to launch Andrew North (pictured), a former BBC correspondent, along with the opposite individuals who had been arrested on the similar time, is a big reduction

However different Westerners are nonetheless in jail in Afghanistan. A number of are British individuals who had been working for safety organisations beneath the outdated regime.

Essentially the most outstanding is Peter Jouvenal, a good friend and trusted colleague. At one time he was one of the vital distinguished tv journalists and cameramen on this planet, and was with me when, disguised in burkas, we entered Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in October 2001.

Just a few weeks later, as Kabul fell, Peter and I, along with a BBC information crew, walked into the town and got a rapturous reception by the inhabitants.

Peter’s contacts and data of Afghanistan made all these items potential. His protection was seen world wide.

In the present day he’s a businessman with pursuits in Afghanistan, together with many that would assist rebuild the shattered financial system there.

He was arrested in Kabul early in December. His circumstances are unhealthy. It appears Peter and one other Briton are being held in a small cell.

It is bitterly chilly, and all they must eat every day is a bowl of rice, often garnished with beans. He has no entry to the drugs he wants for hypertension.

At first, Peter’s household wished to maintain his arrest quiet, in case the Taliban demanded some concession from the British or German governments – Peter has twin nationality.

The Overseas Workplace has been lively on Peter’s behalf, and appeared to have made progress.

However when Andrew North was arrested, Amrullah Saleh, a number one determine within the outdated regime, revealed that Peter was additionally being held.

It killed off any try to cope with Peter’s imprisonment discreetly.

On Friday, David Loyn, a former BBC correspondent who’s main the efforts to get Peter freed, mentioned: ‘Peter’s household and mates consider that he might have been detained in error, as he was in Afghanistan to debate investments in Afghanistan’s mining business. He was working overtly and had frequent conferences with senior Taliban officers.’

Peter’s chief curiosity helps the folks of Afghanistan to prosper once more. He’s married to an Afghan and has three daughters. Afghanistan has been his life.

The Taliban desperately want the assistance of the surface world. They freed Andrew North instantly his plight turned identified. They need to now free Peter Jouvenal.

Source: Day by day Mail

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