Press Release
October 6, 2015
Contact: Alli McCracken, CODEPINK National Coordinator, 860 575 5692, Alli@codepink.org
Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK Co-founder, 415 235 6517, medea@codepink.org
CODEPINK to protest Kunduz hospital attack and continued US presence in Afghanistan on 14th anniversary of US invasion
Where: White House
When: 2 PM, Wednesday, October 7
Visuals: Die-in, bloodied scrubs and lab coats to symbolize hospital victims
Washington DC- CODEPINK will hold a protest in front of the White House to mark the beginning of the 15th year of US military intervention in Afghanistan--the longest war in US history. The peace group will stage a die-in to recall the recent US bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan and demand an independent investigation and compensation for victims.
A new CODEPINK report about the status of women shows that despite the over 1 trillion US dollars spent in the conflict in Afghanistan, successes have been few. Despite spending tens of billions of dollars on empowering Afghan women, the country is still viewed as one of the worst in the world for women. Only 17 per cent of Afghan women can read and write, access to healthcare is almost impossible in remote areas and domestic violence is rife, with limited chances for recourse or legal protection.
“How sad that US taxpayers have spent the equivalent of $33,000 per Afghan, and Afghans remain insecure and impoverished,” says CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin. “Obviously, 14 years of military occupation has not worked.”
The October 3rd bombing of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan added to the tally of the unnecessary civilian deaths in this conflict. Twelve staff members and at least seven patients, including three children, were killed and 37 people injured, including 19 staff members.
On October 6th, CODEPINK delivered over 5,000 petition signatures to military officials after a Senate hearing where General John Campbell testified about the situation in Afghanistan. The petition called for the US to provide health care for the injured victims of the Kunduz hospital bombing, compensate the families of the deceased, and submit to a full, transparent and independent investigation into the attacks.
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