Dozens of Afghan women’s civil society organisations have demanded that international bodies launch legal proceedings against Cheryl Benard, wife of former US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad, for comments they say downplayed the Taliban’s gender-based repression.
In an open letter signed by 64 groups, they call on the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, human rights agencies, the European Union, the US government and international media to investigate and prosecute Benard for “denial of gender-based violence” and “complicity in crimes against humanity.” The letter accuses her of whitewashing the Taliban regime and normalising its systemic oppression of women and girls.
Benard, an author and researcher, recently asserted that Afghan women have not been excluded from society, continue to live and work normally, and that it is safe for refugees to return.
Activists counter that her remarks contradict verified findings by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Amnesty International, as well as numerous survivor testimonies.
“By denying these crimes, discrediting internationally verified reports and promoting return to a regime of systemic violence, Cheryl Benard stands as a complicit actor,” the letter states. Signatories also argue that her close ties to Khalilzad, a principal architect of the US-Taliban peace process, underpin a political motive to soften the Taliban’s international image.
