After Mahsa Amini’s death, ‘Anonymous’ hacks Iran’s state websites

• Several Iranian government and state-affiliated websites are down after cyberattacks.
• Mahsa Amini, 22, died in custody of Iran’s morality police over her “improper” hijab.
• Her death has led to an outpouring of outrage in Iran and elsewhere.

Several Iranian government and state-affiliated media websites have been taken offline after a Twitter account linked to the “Anonymous” hacker collective claimed to have launched cyberattacks on them in support of protests following Mahsa Amini’s death.

According to authorities and state media, 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 so-called morality police for her “improper” hijab.

Iranian authorities have denied any allegations of mistreatment or beatings against Amini, claiming that she died as a result of pre-existing conditions, but her family has rejected the claims.

Protests in several Iranian cities have erupted since Amini’s death, according to a video released early Wednesday.

“This was the last straw,” the video’s altered voice, claiming to be Anonymous, said of Amini’s death. “The Iranian people are not on their own.”

The attacks appear to have targeted the Iranian government’s two main websites.

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One is the government’s “smart services” website, which provides a variety of online services, and another is dedicated to publishing government news and interviews with officials.

“All databases have been deleted,” claimed a social media account linked to Anonymous. The Iranian government has yet to issue an official response to the claims or the attacks.

Several other websites, including the Iranian state television website, were also attacked and were unavailable for some time.

On Wednesday morning, the websites went down and were recovered several times, indicating a conflict between the hackers and website support.

According to Kurdistan’s governor, Esmail Zarei Kousha, at least three people have been killed in the protests so far.

The deaths, according to the official, are “suspicious” and appear to be an attempt by “anti-revolutionary” groups to fan the flames of unrest across the country.

On Wednesday, Iranian state media reported that protests over Amini’s death had spread to 15 cities across the country.

The death of the young woman has sparked outrage in Iran and elsewhere, with videos showing women cutting their hair in protest of Iran’s laws requiring women to wear veils.