Afghanistan Women Urge Prosecution of Khalilzad’s Wife

DIDPress: Around 64 entities and movements working in the fields of human rights and transitional justice have issued an open letter, demanding legal action against Cheryl Benard, Zalmay Khalilzad’s wife. Khalilzad was former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Peace process.

These groups have urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch a formal investigation into Benard’s alleged role in promoting and supporting Afghanistan’s interim government, as well as potential crimes against humanity.

Cheryl Benard recently stirred controversy with an article published in The National Interest, in which she described Afghan refugees’ fears of returning to their country as “unfounded”. She claimed they should not fear going back to Afghanistan.

She also dismissed media reports about the suppression of women, describing the education ban on Afghanistan women and girls as “unacceptable and lacking religious justification.”

Her statements sparked strong backlash from Afghanistan civil society. The organizations signing the open letter—including the Women’s Civil Service Movement, the Afghan Republican Women’s Network, the Women for Peace and Freedom Movement, and the Hazara Cultural and Solidarity Association—denounced her comments as part of an effort to “whitewash the Taliban” and to normalize the country’s dire situation.

Zalmay Khalilzad, Benard’s husband, played a key role in Doha peace negotiations that led to the 2020 agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban. This deal paved the way for US troops withdrawal and ultimately the fall of the elected Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power.

Since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, human rights in Afghanistan—especially women’s rights—have deteriorated significantly. The interim Taliban government has imposed severe restrictions on women’s social, educational, and economic activities, drawing widespread international condemnation.

In this context, Benard’s remarks downplaying the risks faced by Afghan refugees and the repression of women have outraged civil society actors in Afghanistan. The signatory organizations of the open letter consider her comments an attempt to normalize terror and lobbying on behalf of the Taliban’s interim government. They are demanding accountability and an international judicial investigation into her actions.