Anonymous Hackers Promise To 'Help The People Of Iran' As Protests Rage

Hacker collective Anonymous seemingly pledged to aid the people of Iran as protests erupted in the country following the death of a woman who got arrested over a dress code violation.

"We hear the calls of the Iranian people. We understand the abuse you suffer, and we will do our best to help the people of Iran as much as we can," Twitter account YourAnonNews, which tracks Anonymous' activity, said in a post with the hashtags #OpIran and #Anonymous.

"Many hacktivists around the globe support the people of Iran and understand how repressive your government is," they added in the statement.

The post came after Al Jazeera reported that several Iranian and state-affiliated media websites had gone down.

Before the shutdowns, a Twitter account linked to Anonymous claimed to have launched a cyber campaign against Iran in support of protests across the country over the death of Mahsa Amini, according to the outlet.

Iran's Guidance Patrol, also known as the morality police, arrested the 22-year-old on Sept. 13 for wearing an "improper hijab," the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report.

The morality police "severely" beat Amini during her arrest and transfer to the Vozara Detention Center in the Iranian capital of Tehran, the agency added. She later fell into a coma and died at the detention center on Sept. 16.

Iranian authorities attributed the death to a heart attack from natural causes, but reports suggested that Amini died as a result of alleged torture and ill-treatment, the OHCHR claimed, citing experts.

Protests broke out across Iran in the days following Amini's death, especially in her hometown of Saqqez.

Official Iranian sources claimed eight people have been killed since the protests began, but Reuters reported that the death toll in Kurdish areas may have already climbed to 15.

Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of his visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Thursday he has ordered an investigation into Amini's case and warned protesters that "acts of chaos" are unacceptable.

Raisi also said that there was still freedom of expression in Iran even if his government blocked access to Instagram and WhatsApp, two of the last remaining social networks in the country, amid the protests.