64 Afghan rights croups call for legal action against Zalmay Khalilzad’s wife

Sixty-four Afghan rights groups have urged international legal bodies to take action against Cheryl Benard for whitewashing gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

On Friday, May 23, sixty-four Afghan women’s rights movements and human rights organizations called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other global legal institutions to launch proceedings against American writer Cheryl Benard. In an open letter addressed to the ICC, the United Nations, the European Union, U.S. authorities, and international media outlets, the signatories accused Benard of denying systemic discrimination in Afghanistan and falsely claiming that women can move freely in the country.

These groups demanded that Cheryl Benard be legally disqualified and banned from participating in international institutions. They also called for the ICC prosecutor to begin documenting her role in facilitating the whitewashing of the Taliban regime and the violation of women’s rights. Furthermore, they urged that all of Benard’s supportive ties within research institutions and Western media, which enable her actions, be immediately revoked.

The signatories claim that her actions represent a serious ethical breach, particularly given the ongoing human rights crisis under Taliban rule, especially targeting Afghan women and girls.

Cheryl Benard, a U.S. writer and the wife of Zalmay Khalilzad—the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation—recently published an article in The National Interest. In it, she dismissed media reports on the Taliban’s repression of women and suggested that Afghan returnees should not be worried about the Taliban-controlled education system, proposing they send their children to private schools instead.

Benard’s article, written after a recent trip to Kabul, further claimed that she was warmly received by Taliban officials. These remarks ignited strong backlash from Afghan activists and human rights advocates, who argue that such narratives dangerously downplay the Taliban’s harsh restrictions, including the bans on female education, employment, and freedom of movement—policies repeatedly condemned by organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The open letter also emphasized the close alignment between Benard’s views and the political legacy of her husband, suggesting that her comments were not merely academic but intertwined with broader political agendas. The groups stated that her position undermines the decades-long struggle of Afghan women and civil society, which has faced brutal suppression since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

This appeal for international legal scrutiny reflects growing frustration among Afghan rights advocates over attempts to rebrand or normalize the Taliban regime, which the United Nations and major rights bodies continue to denounce for systemic gender apartheid. The open letter calls not only for legal action but also for heightened awareness of the geopolitical and personal interests that may influence such narratives.

As the global community continues to engage with Afghanistan’s evolving crisis, experts urge greater accountability and transparency in international discourse. Cheryl Benard’s case highlights the need for critical examination of commentary that could inadvertently legitimize oppressive regimes. The ICC and other institutions now face mounting pressure to investigate whether such acts constitute complicity in ongoing human rights violations.

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