British charity medic Kevin Cornwell detained by Taliban and locked up in basement of secret prison

Charity medic Kevin Cornwell, 53, has been held by the Taliban’s intelligence agency since January 11 when he was arrested at his hotel in Kabul.

He is accused of having an illegal handgun in the safe in his room, but his family say he had been granted a licence and his detention is due to a ‘misunderstanding’.

Kevin, a married father from Middlesbrough, was working in Afghanistan for Iqarus, a non-profit medical agency that works on United Nations missions to provide free healthcare to people in conflict zones.

He has now been held without charge for 105 days along with a second UK national who manages the hotel in the Afghan capital. He has not been named at the request of his family.

Also being held in a separate facility is 'danger tourist' Miles Routledge, 24, from Birmingham.

The UK Government says it is actively pursuing negotiations with the Taliban to secure their release and will do ‘whatever it takes to ensure that they're safe’.

But with each day that passes, Kevin’s family – who live on the Fylde Coast – are becoming increasingly concerned for his welfare.

‘Horror, fear, disbelief’ – Kevin’s family speak out

Today – in a heartfelt plea to those who wield power in Afghanistan and the UK – his family have urged both the Taliban and the British Foreign Office to resolve the matter and return Kevin home before his health deteriorates further.

In a statement to the Gazette, the family described their ‘horror and disbelief’ as a beloved husband, father and ‘true humanitarian’ remains imprisoned inside a Taliban basement 5,000 miles away.

“Shock, horror and disbelief are just a few words to describe how we reacted to the news that Kevin had been detained by the Taliban", said the family.

"Imagine yourself, as a family, as a wife and mother, a son or a daughter, and your husband is held in a country across the other side of the world by a foreign intelligence service.

“This man, who is the heart of our family, might die from the absence of medical treatment – not because he committed a crime, but because he cared for people."

In the 15 weeks since Kevin’s arrest, the Taliban’s General Directive Intelligence (GDI) Service has allowed him just two brief phone calls with his wife and children.

In addition to the family phone call, the Taliban have permitted Kevin to make one other phone call to the British Embassy in Doha, Qatar. The call was scripted and Kevin has had no further access to consular support or legal representation.

In his emotional call home, the 53-year-old raised concerns over his failing health. He suffers from chronic kidney issues and requires urgent hospital treatment.

He has missed hospital appointments in the UK due to his ongoing detention and his condition is now described as ‘life-threatening’.

His family fear they are running out of time. But there is hope.

Kevin and his family are being supported by Scott Richards from the Presidium Network – a non-profit group which provides support to vulnerable and displaced people in conflict zones.

Mr Richards continues to negotiate with the Taliban on Kevin’s behalf while lobbying the UK Government to advance its own efforts to secure his release.

He said: “We are no longer in a position where we have the allowance of time for extended deliberations on the release of the detainees, Kevin’s health necessitates it.

"If Kevin were to die in GDI custody, the ramifications for the Taliban would be broad.

"The evidence clearly indicates that the situation is a misunderstanding and there is now a risk of fatality due to the inability to provide medical care, which is of extreme concern.

“The health of a true humanitarian is endangered and urgency has become a necessity.”

‘We pray they let a loving father return home to his family’

“There are no words to express the full extent and impact Kevin's detention has had on all of us," his family added.

"His only crime is helping those who cannot help themselves. He is a man who values honour and integrity in everything he undertakes in life.

"For the first six weeks following this devastating news, Kevin's whereabouts were withheld, as was the reason for his detainment. We didn’t even know if Kevin was still alive.

"Devastation, fear, and anxiety gripped us. We remained frozen in time as the world continued to move forward.

“We had concerns about Kevin’s health and whether the Taliban could provide the care he needed, not just pain relief medication.

"We’re now 105 days into his detention, and those fears have become grave.”

They had hoped Ramadan might provide an opportunity for the Taliban to release Kevin in a gesture of compassion and goodwill, but the holy month has passed and Kevin’s detention continues.

“If ever there was a time for the Taliban to look at Kevin’s case with compassion, we believed that Ramadan was that time.

"In Islam, the care of the sick, the poor and those in need is regarded as the highest form of prayer to Allah. This is Kevin’s passion, and this is the reason he was in Afghanistan.

“But Ramadan has now come to an end. Kevin is still in detention in a basement in Kabul without medical treatment and our nightmare continues."

His family continue to call on the Taliban to act with ‘compassion and mercy’ and allow a beloved husband and father to return safely home to his family.

“We are thankful for the two unscripted calls we received from Kevin while he is in detention," they said.

"We have expressed our gratitude through the media, and asked for compassion and mercy during Ramadan.

"And now we again ask for compassion given the life-threatening illness that Kevin has.

"We ask as a family for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to return Kevin, we acknowledge this situation is a misunderstanding, and pray that the IEA lets a father return home to his family.”

What does the British Government say?

The UK does not have an embassy or any consulates in Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power.

The Foreign Office said it had spoken to the three British nationals and continues to press for more consular contact while providing support to their families.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the UK government is "in negotiations" over the release of Kevin and two other Britons.

She told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "If there are risks to people's safety, if they're a British citizen abroad, then the UK government is going to do whatever it takes to ensure that they're safe.

"The government is in negotiations and working hard to ensure people's safety is upheld."