Since the jailing of punk activists Pussy Riot last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government have been widely denounced for what many see as an unjust crackdown on the expression of political opposition. Now, following the backlash, the Moscow court that sentenced Pussy Riot has become the victim of an online attack.
The reported source of the attack is AnonymousRussia, a branch of the notorious hacktivist collective Anonymous. According to Reuters, the group hacked into the Moscow court's website and posted a plea calling for the musicians' release. This message was reportedly accompanied by a clip of one of Pussy Riot's anti-Putin songs, plus a video by Bulgarian singer Azis.
These have since been taken down and the site returned to normal, but the political message was apparently up for several hours this morning (August 21). The court has now requested that federal investigators look into the attack.
Russian activist Ilya Yashin tweeted a screenshot of the hacked website, which you can see here.
Meanwhile, the Russian police are reportedly searching for other members of Pussy Riot for their participation in the now-famous punk protest at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February. Many Western musicians have also spoken out against the Russian government for targeting Pussy Riot.
The reported source of the attack is AnonymousRussia, a branch of the notorious hacktivist collective Anonymous. According to Reuters, the group hacked into the Moscow court's website and posted a plea calling for the musicians' release. This message was reportedly accompanied by a clip of one of Pussy Riot's anti-Putin songs, plus a video by Bulgarian singer Azis.
These have since been taken down and the site returned to normal, but the political message was apparently up for several hours this morning (August 21). The court has now requested that federal investigators look into the attack.
Russian activist Ilya Yashin tweeted a screenshot of the hacked website, which you can see here.
Meanwhile, the Russian police are reportedly searching for other members of Pussy Riot for their participation in the now-famous punk protest at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February. Many Western musicians have also spoken out against the Russian government for targeting Pussy Riot.
