CODEPINK's Field Trip to Xinjiang
The "anti-war" organization, which also has ties to Iran and Hamas, continues to rub shoulders with the repressive Chinese government
CODEPINK, a self-described “women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism,” has come under increasing scrutiny for its shady alliances and participation in events that amplify the narratives of authoritarian regimes and terrorist groups. The organization recently promoted a “community trip” to China, praising Shenzhen as a “tech hub” while ignoring its role in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surveillance state. CODEPINK also hosted a webinar detailing its “Journey Through Xinjiang”, an area where the CCP has subjected Uyghurs and members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups to genocide, state-imposed forced labor, and crimes against humanity. Beyond China, CODEPINK has fostered ties with authoritarian regimes, including Iran, and terrorist groups such as Hamas.
An investigation by the New York Times uncovered significant ties between CODEPINK, its co-founder Jodie Evans, and Neville Roy Singham, a wealthy activist and pro-Beijing propagandist deeply embedded in the CCP’s global influence network. Singham, who works closely with the Chinese state media apparatus, funds a vast network of organizations that amplify CCP narratives under the guise of progressive activism. CODEPINK is one of the beneficiaries, with over $1.4 million of its funding coming from nonprofits linked to Singham.
Singham’s funding structure conceals its sources through a labyrinth of shell companies and nonprofits. These entities, many operated by Singham’s associates, channel money to groups like CODEPINK, while simultaneously producing propaganda content in coordination with Chinese state agencies. Singham himself resides in Shanghai, where he shares office space with Maku Group, a Chinese propaganda company aligned with the CCP’s Central Committee.
This connection influences CODEPINK’s rhetoric and activities. Once critical of China’s human rights abuses, CODEPINK now defends the CCP’s internment of Uyghurs, dismissing reports of forced labor camps in Xinjiang as Western misinformation. Jodie Evans, married to Singham, has described Uyghurs as “terrorists” and claims their mass detention is justified. CODEPINK staff have even compared Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters to January 6 rioters in the U.S., aligning their messaging with Beijing’s official line. CODEPINK’s glaring silence on issues like the Uyghur genocide, forced labor camps in Xinjiang, and the repression of Hong Kong protesters further underscores its alignment with Beijing’s propaganda efforts.
Cozying Up to Iran
CODEPINK’s troubling alliances extend to Iran, where the organization has repeatedly opposed sanctions on the regime while downplaying its human rights abuses. A particularly notable example of CODEPINK’s alignment with Tehran occurred in 2014, when co-founder Medea Benjamin attended Iran’s “New Horizon Conference,” a gathering notorious for its anti-Semitic rhetoric, Holocaust denial, and conspiracy theories. In 2019, New Horizon was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury for hosting international conferences that serve as a platform for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) to recruit and collect intelligence from attendees. The IRGC-QF is the branch of the Iranian regime’s armed force that is responsible for plotting and conducting covert operations worldwide.
The conference, organized by Iranian state officials, featured panel discussions like “Zionist fingerprints on the 9/11 cover-up” and “The Gaza war & BDS Movement against the Zionist regime.” Benjamin participated in these panels and gave interviews to Iranian state media.
The conference’s agenda was clearly anti-Semitic, with organizers describing it as a platform to “expose” Zionist influence in the U.S. and Europe. Benjamin’s participation provided a veneer of legitimacy to an event that openly sought to promote hatred and division.
Meeting with Hamas
In 2009, CODEPINK organized a delegation to Gaza that met with Hamas members. On the trip, CODEPINK received a warm welcome from Ahmed Bahar, a former-top Hamas politburo member that was eliminated by Israel in November 2023. One of the participants in CODEPINK’s delegation wrote: “By the end of the trip, we started joking that we had now met with Hamas more times than Obama had--and quite possibly ever will.” During this visit, CODEPINK ignored Hamas’s role in perpetuating violence and repression in Gaza, choosing instead to cast Israel as the sole antagonist.
CODEPINK’s activism consistently demonstrates a double standard. While it vocally condemns U.S. foreign policy and supports movements like BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) targeting Israel, it remains silent on the atrocities committed by its allies. Researcher Pekka Kallioniemi has documented CODEPINK’s refusal to address Russian war crimes in Ukraine, the Uyghur genocide in China, and Iran’s violent crackdowns on protesters.
This selective outrage reveals an underlying ideological bias that prioritizes undermining Western democracies over true human rights advocacy. By aligning itself with regimes like those in China and Iran and the latter’s terror proxies, CODEPINK amplifies their propaganda while ignoring the suffering of their victims. These actions have drawn the attention of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, which launched an investigation into CODEPINK’s potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In a letter to CODEPINK President Jodie Evans, Chairman Bruce Westerman detailed concerns about the organization’s funding arrangements and connections to CCP-linked entities, particularly through Evans’s husband, Neville Roy Singham.
The Committee’s investigation highlights how CODEPINK’s advocacy, including lobbying on environmental and energy issues, aligns with the CCP’s agenda to undermine U.S. national security while deflecting attention from Beijing’s abuses. These troubling connections not only erode CODEPINK’s credibility but also raise questions about compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), as the organization’s activities increasingly appear influenced by foreign interests.