HOTPEN – Several Iranian government and state related media websites are down after a Twitter account linked to an “Anonymous” hacker collective claimed to have launched cyberattacks on them, aimed at supporting protests following the death of Mahsa Amini.
According to reports by authorities and state media said, the 22-year-old woman from the northwestern province of Kurdistan died in Tehran on Friday after suffering from a stroke and several heart attacks while in the custody of Iran’s morality police for her “improper” hijab.
However, Iranian authorities have denied any allegations of maltreatment or beatings of Amini and said she had pre-existing conditions that contributed to her death, but her family has rejected the claims.
A video released early Wednesday showed footage of protests in several Iranian cities that have erupted since Amini’s death.
“This was the last straw,” the altered voice on the video, which claimed to be from Anonymous, said of Amini’s death. “The Iranian people are not alone”.
It appears that the two main websites of the Iranian government were the main target of the attacks.
One is the “smart services” website of the government, where a host of online services is offered, and another is aimed at publishing government news and interviews with officials.
“All database has been deleted,” claimed a social media account believed to be affiliated with Anonymous. The Iranian government has yet to officially comment on the claims or the attacks.
Several other websites, including the webpage of Iranian state television, were also attacked and were down for some time.
The websites had gone down and been recovered several times on Wednesday morning, indicating a struggle between the hackers and website support.
AL JAZEERA