To all of you wonderful people who helped in the campaign to free Peter Jouvenal, I am very happy to be able to inform you that today he has been freed. All five British nationals held by the Taliban government for more than six months have been released, and have now left Afghanistan and are heading home.
It has been an arduous time for the captives, and many people from around the world have joined this campaign to mark their solidarity. I know that your signatures meant a lot to Peter’s wife, Hassina, and his three daughters, bolstering their spirits on the many dark days they have had without Peter. This campaign showed that a lot of people cared about Peter's incarceration, and it did have an impact. For that, I thank all 114,104 of you.
We of course were not privy to the exact details of the terms under which the five were freed. Negotiations were run from the British side by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and representations were made to the Taliban through their office in Doha, Qatar. To all of you who worked towards today’s result, I also say thanks.
Some people have of course been more instrumental than others, and so I particularly salute Safi Rauf, the Afghan-American who after being freed from the same jail in April did not forget these who were left behind. He worked tirelessly on their behalf, and was clearly motivated by a deep compassion for his former cellmates. I would also like to recognise Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanine, who helped us with much sage advice. And of course Richard Parry, my partner in this campaign, who showed unflagging loyalty to his friend, 'PJ'.
Finally, I must pay homage to Hassina, for whom Richard Parry and I have the deepest admiration. She did everything in her power to try to get her husband home, and deftly navigated a political minefield.
It will no doubt take a lot of time for these five men to decompress and process what they have been through. But they will be back where they should be, with their families, and those who matter to them. Welcome home chaps!