Anonymous hacked the Syrian Ministry of Defense website last night, replacing it with a message to the Syrian people and images of the regime’s brutality.
For months, the government of Syria has waged a brutal campaign against civilians demanding an end to the Assad regime and a transition to a more open and democratic society. Despite international condemnation and calls for an end to the violence, Syrian troops launched an attack on the city of Deir al-Zour yesterday, leaving at least 50 dead according to activists and possibly prompting Anonymous to do what it does.
The group hacked Syria’s Ministry of Defense website last night, replacing it with a Syrian flag emblazoned with the Anonymous logo, scrolling images [some rather disturbing] of the unrest and a message to the people written in both English and Arabic.
“The world stands with you against the brutal regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Know that time and history are on your side – tyrants use violence because they have nothing else, and the more violent they are, the more fragile they become,” the message said. “We salute your determination to be non-violent in the face of the regime’s brutality, and admire your willingness to pursue justice, not mere revenge.”
“To the Syrian military: you are responsible for protecting the Syrian people, and anyone who orders you to kill women, children and the elderly deserves to be tried for treason,” it continued. “No outside enemy could do as much damage to Syria as Bashar Al-Assad has done. Defend your country – rise up against the regime!”
Links to other websites, including the Syrian Revolution Facebook page, Al Jazeera’s Syria liveblog, Amnesty International and several others, were also added to the page. Syria’s Ministry of Defense website was taken offline sometime last night or early this morning and at last check was still unavailable.
