Recently, Ms. Cheryl Benard, the wife of Zalmay Khalilzad, published an article in an American media outlet following her trip to Afghanistan, in which she made astonishing remarks and presented an unrealistic image of the situation of Afghan women and the Taliban’s oppressive regime. Without a doubt, anyone is entitled to analyze the situation in Afghanistan. However, Ms. Cheryl Benard, due to her connection with Mr. Khalilzad—the chief architect of the disgraceful Doha Agreement and the main figure behind handing Afghanistan over to a terrorist group—and given her denial of the ongoing gender apartheid in Afghanistan, must be held accountable for her false and misleading statements.
It is clear to the entire world that Afghanistan has now turned into a vast prison the size of a nation, especially for its women. While the Taliban have abolished all national laws and the country remains without a constitution, a functioning government, or legitimate sovereignty, the leader of the group has issued more than fifty decrees aimed at restricting women’s freedoms.
Women, as half of Afghan society, have been deprived of the right to education, employment, participation, travel, and movement—in short, all their civic and human rights. For four years, the doors of schools above grade six and all higher education institutions have been closed to girls. Recently, numerous reports have emerged across international media about the imprisonment of teachers who were educating girls. Over the past years, women have consistently been arbitrarily detained, tortured, and imprisoned under false pretenses.
The Taliban’s treatment of women has been recognized by all international institutions, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, as a clear case of gender apartheid. Some time ago, the case against the Taliban was referred to the International Criminal Court by four countries due to the group’s blatant gender discrimination. Despite the dire situation in Afghanistan, Ms. Benard’s statements are not only blatant lies but constitute an unforgivable injustice against the women and people of Afghanistan.
The National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan strongly condemns these false and distorted remarks and demands that Ms. Cheryl Benard be held accountable in international courts. We also call on all human rights organizations and women’s rights advocates to take a firm stand against such shameless lies and the whitewashing of the Taliban’s crimes, and to support the process of holding such dishonest individuals accountable.
National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan