Political and social causes

Penn has been active in supporting numerous political and social causes. On December 13-16, 2002, Sean Penn visited Iraq to protest the Bush Administration's apparent plans for a military strike on Iraq. On June 10, 2005, Penn made a visit to Iran. Acting as a journalist on an assignment for the San Francisco Chronicle, he attended a Friday prayer at Tehran University.[27] On January 7, 2006, Penn was a special guest at the Progressive Democrats of America, where he was joined by author and media critic Norman Solomon, Democratic congressional candidate Charles Brown, and activist Cindy Sheehan. The "Out of Iraq Forum", which took place in Sacramento, California, was organized to promote the anti-war movement calling for an end to the War in Iraq. In August 2008, Penn made an appearance at one of Ralph Nader's "Open the Debates" Super Rallies. He protested the political exclusion of Nader and other third parties.[28] In October 2008, Penn traveled to Cuba, where he met with and interviewed President Ral Castro.[29] In February 2012, he stood beside Hugo Chvez while Venezuela supported the Syrian government during the 20112012 Syrian uprising.[30]Criticism of President BushPenn at an anti-war rally in Washington, D.C., January 27, 2007

On October 18, 2002, Penn placed a US$56,000 advertisement in the Washington Post asking then President George W. Bush to end a cycle of violence. It was written as an open letter and referred to the planned attack on Iraq and the War on Terror.[31] In the letter, Penn also criticized the Bush administration for its "deconstruction of civil liberties" and its "simplistic and inflammatory view of good and evil."[32] Penn visited Iraq briefly in December 2002.[31] "Sean is one of the few," remarked his ex-wife Madonna. "Good for him. Most celebrities are keeping their heads down. Nobody wants to be unpopular. But then Americans, by and large, are pretty ignorant of what's going on in the world."[33] The Post advertisement was cited as a primary reason for the development of his relationship with Venezuelan president Hugo Chvez. In one of his televised speeches, Chvez used and read aloud an open letter Penn wrote to Bush.[34] The letter condemned the Iraq War, called for Bush to be impeached, and also called Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "villainously and criminally obscene people.".[35] In August 2007, Penn met with Chvez in Caracas for two hours, after which Chvez praised him for urging Americans to impeach Bush. Penn also visited a new film studio on the outskirts of Caracas, though he did not speak publicly.[35]

On April 19, 2007, Penn appeared on The Colbert Report and had a "Meta-Free-Phor-All" versus Stephen Colbert that was judged by Robert Pinsky. This stemmed from some of Penn's criticisms of Bush. His exact quote was "We cower as you point your fingers telling us to support our troops. You and the smarmy pundits in your pocket those who bathe in the moisture of your soiled and blood-soaked underwear can take that noise and shove it."[36][37] He won the contest with 10,000,000 points to Colbert's 1.[38] On December 7, 2007, Penn said he supported Ohio Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich for U.S. President in 2008, and criticized Bush's handling of the Iraq war. Penn questioned whether Bush's twin daughters supported the war in Iraq.[39]Hurricane Katrina

In September 2005, Penn traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to aid Hurricane Katrina victims. He was physically involved in rescuing people,[40] although there was criticism that his involvement was a PR stunt as he hired a photographer to come along with his entourage.[41] Penn denied such accusations in an article he wrote for The Huffington Post.[42] Director Spike Lee interviewed Penn for his documentary about Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.Support for same-sex marriageFilming Milk, 2008

On February 22, 2009, Penn received the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film Milk. In his acceptance speech, he said: "I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone!"[43]2010 Haiti earthquake: Manager of relief organization and tent camp

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Penn founded the J/P Haitian Relief Organization,[44] which has been running a 55,000 person tent camp.[45] Due to his visibility as an on-the-ground advocate for rescue and aid efforts in the aftermath, Penn was designated by president Michel Martelly as Ambassador-at-Large for Haiti, the first time that a non-Haitian citizen has been designated as such in the country's history. Penn received the designation on January 31, 2012.[46]Pakistan

Penn gained significant attention in the Pakistan media when he visited Karachi and Badin in 2012. On 23 March 2012, he visited flood-stricken villages of Karim Bux Jamali, Dargah Shah Gurio and Peero Lashari in Badin District. He was accompanied by US Consul General Willian J. Martin and distributed blankets, quilts, kitchen items and other goods amongst flood survivors.[47][48] On 24 March 2012, Penn also visited Bilquis Edhi Female Child Home and met Pakistans iconic humanitarian worker Abdul Sattar Edhi and his wife, Bilquis Edhi. He also laid floral wreaths and paid respect at the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi.[49][50]Release of Jacob Ostreicher from Bolivian prison

Penn is believed to have played a role in getting American entrepreneur Jacob Ostreicher released from a Bolivian prison in 2013, and was credited by Ostreicher for having personally nursed him back to health upon his release.[51]ControversiesDefense of Hugo Chvez

In March 2010, Penn called for the arrest of those referring to Venezuelan President Hugo Chvez as a dictator.[52] The two were friends, and when Chvez died, Penn said: "Venezuela and its revolution will endure under the proven leadership of Vice President (Nicols) Maduro. Today the United States lost a friend it never knew it had. And poor people around the world lost a champion. I lost a friend I was blessed to have."[53]Falkland Islands controversySean Penn and President of Argentina Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner, during his visit in Argentina.

In February 2012, Penn met with the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner in Buenos Aires where he made a statement on the long-running dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, saying: "I know I came in a very sensitive moment in terms of diplomacy between Argentina and the UK over the Malvinas islands. And I hope that diplomats can establish true dialogue in order to solve the conflict as the world today cannot tolerate ridiculous demonstrations of colonialism. The way of dialogue is the only way to achieve a better solution for both nations."[54][55][56]

The comments were taken as support of Argentina's claim to the islands and evoked strong reactions in the British media, with one satirical article in The Daily Telegraph requesting that Penn "return his Malibu estate to the Mexicans".[57] Lauren Collins of The New Yorker wrote: "As of today, Sean Penn is the new Karl Lagerfeldthe man upon whom, having disrespected something dear to the United Kingdom, the British papers most gleefully pile contempt".[58]

Penn later claimed that he had been misrepresented by the British press and that his criticism of "colonialism" was a reference to the deployment of Prince William as an air-sea rescue pilot, describing it as a "message of pre-emptive intimidation". He claimed that the Prince's posting meant "the automatic deployment of warships", and stated: "My oh my, aren't people sensitive to the word 'colonialism', particularly those who implement colonialism."[59][60] In a piece written in The Guardian, Penn wrote that "the legalisation of Argentinian immigration to the Malvinas/Falkland Islands is one that it seems might have been addressed, but for the speculative discovery of booming offshore oil in the surrounding seas this past year". He further wrote that "irresponsible journalism" had suggested "that I had taken a specific position against those currently residing in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands, that they should either be deported or absorbed into Argentine rule. I neither said, nor insinuated that".[60][61]Oscar green card joke

While presenting the award for Best Picture at the 87th Academy Awards, Penn said, "Who gave this son of a bitch his green card?" before presenting the award to Mexican-American Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu for Birdman. This caused some people to be offended by the comments, deeming them racist towards Latino Americans, and offensive to those who attempt to legally immigrate into the United States.[62][63] Iarritu said that it was a joke between him and Penn, who worked together on 21 Grams, and that he found it "hilarious". Penn later went on record defending his comments, saying, "I have absolutely no apologies. In fact, I have a big fuck you for every...anybody who is so stupid not to have gotten the irony when you've got a country that is so xenophobic. If they had their way, you wouldn't have great filmmakers like Alejandro working in this country. Thank God we do."[64][65]