FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2026
Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected] | 228-990-4168
“ARREST HEGSETH FOR WAR CRIMES!” CODEPINK Confronts Secretary of War (Crimes) Pete Hegseth Ahead of His House Armed Services Committee Testimony
WASHINGTON - CODEPINK “greeted” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth while he was entering the House Armed Services Committee Hearing on the Department of Defense FY27 Budget Request. CODEPINK organizer Olivia DiNucc confronted Hegseth by directly asking him, “Why did you order the bombing of a girls' school in Iran?” and “Why have you been carrying out illegal attacks on fishermen in the Caribbean and Pacific?”
After the hallway confrontation, the group tried to attend the “public” hearing, but the public was prohibited from entering.
Leila, an Iranian-American CODEPINK volunteer, explained why she was there to confront Hegseth:
“The war with Iran is reckless and profoundly costly, especially in human lives. On its very first day, 165 schoolchildren were reportedly killed. Children like Makan, a seven-year-old whose mother could identify him only by a single shoe. No political objective can justify that kind of loss.
For years, this conflict has been waged against civilians through crippling sanctions that have placed immense strain on ordinary Iranians. Now, it has escalated into direct military force, billions of dollars in bombs dropped on a population that has already endured so much.
Far from achieving stability, this war is further destabilizing the region, with no clear or realistic path to meaningful outcomes. Like past interventions in Iraq, Syria, and Libya, it risks deepening chaos rather than resolving underlying issues.
At its core, this war reflects a failure of leadership. When diplomacy remains possible, choosing war is not a strength; it is an abdication of responsibility. So far, it has created more division, more suffering, and more uncertainty, without bringing the United States and Iran any closer to resolution.”
The confrontation comes on the heels of the launch of CODEPINK’s new campaign to arrest Hegseth for war crimes. As a part of the campaign for accountability, activists are demanding that the media do their jobs and put Hegseth in the hot seat to answer for his war crimes. As Secretary of War, he’s launched new unprovoked wars, bombed an Iranian elementary school, and has murdered nearly a hundred fishermen in the Caribbean under the guise of fighting “narco-terrorism.” When Congress recently demanded answers on the Minab school bombing, the deadline for a response came and went without any answers. The media, which is supposed to represent the interests of the people, not those in power, has a duty to get these answers.
“Pete Hegseth is a war criminal who should be removed from office and arrested. He has said that he will not follow any “stupid rules of engagement” that are intended to minimize civilian deaths. In addition to all the school children and other civilians killed in Iran, he ordered the boat strikes in the Caribbean that have killed at least 186 people to date,” explained CODEPINK volunteer Debbie Pfaff.
For more information on the campaign or original footage of the hallway confrontation, please contact Melissa at [email protected].
