Open Letter: Call for Legal Action Against Cheryl Benard for Aiding Crimes Against Humanity
To:
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The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
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United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms
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The European Union
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The United States Government
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International Media
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The Global Public
We, a coalition of Afghan civil society organizations, legal advocates, and women’s protest movements, submit this open letter to urge legal scrutiny and public accountability for Cheryl Benard, wife of former U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad, for her ongoing public defense and normalization of the Taliban regime, which we assert constitutes complicity in crimes against humanity.
Cheryl Benard’s Role and Platform
Cheryl Benard, through her writings and interviews—including her 2024 article in The National Interest—has made public claims that directly deny or minimize Taliban atrocities, especially the gender-based persecution of Afghan women. Given her close association with Zalmay Khalilzad, a key figure in the Doha Agreement and a longtime apologist for the Taliban, her actions are not isolated but part of a larger political and media network.
Documented Statements by Ms. Benard
In various public forums, Ms. Benard has:
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Denied the existence of gender apartheid, claiming women “move freely,” “face no pressure,” and “are employed.”
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Referred to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as safe and desirable for refugee return.
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Asserted that the oppression of Afghan women is exaggerated.
These claims contradict substantial international evidence, including:
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UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett’s reports to the Human Rights Council (2022–2024), which classify Taliban policies as systematic oppression and crimes against humanity
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UNAMA, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch documentation of:
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Bans on women’s education, work, and travel
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Arbitrary arrests and torture of female protesters
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100+ Taliban decrees institutionalizing gender apartheid
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Legal Grounds for Action
Under Article 25(3)(c) of the Rome Statute, anyone who knowingly aids or abets crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction may be held criminally responsible. By whitewashing Taliban rule, Ms. Benard plays a public, political, and ideological role in softening global perception of a regime responsible for systemic violence against Afghan women and minorities.
Why This Matters?
The power of propaganda lies in its ability to erase truth and silence survivors. When individuals in privileged positions like Cheryl Benard use their platforms to normalize a regime engaged in crimes against humanity, they help legitimize oppression and delay justice.
Our Demands
We respectfully call for:
A formal investigation by the ICC into Cheryl Benard’s role in enabling Taliban impunity
A review of her affiliations with institutions that may have supported her platform
Legal support for Afghan survivors seeking justice for gender-based persecution
An international hearing or tribunal examining the role of Western elites in aiding authoritarian regimes—particularly in Afghanistan
Closing Statement
Silencing victims and rehabilitating perpetrators is not academic freedom—it is complicity. Cheryl Benard’s actions, in the context of her husband’s political history and the suffering of millions of Afghan women, must not go unchallenged.
We demand accountability, transparency, and justice—not only for past crimes, but for the right of all Afghan women to live free from oppression and denial.
Signed:
Coalition of Afghan Civil Society, Women’s Movements, and Human Rights Defenders
