Computer hackers on Tuesday attacked the website of Moscow's Khamovnichesky Court, where three members of the anti-Putin punk group Pussy Riot were jailed last week.
The hackers posted a message calling for the release of the three members of Russian punk band who were jailed for two years each on Friday, over a February protest in Moscow's largest cathedral. The unknown attackers also posted a music video clip with homosexual content by Bulgarian pop-folk singer Azis.
Visitors to the site on Tuesday morning were greeted with Pussy Riot's new single, Putin Ignites the Fires of Revolution, which has been posted on the YouTube website. Hackers also renamed some of the sections on the site - including the Press Service and Legal Community - with epitaphs loaded with expletives.
By 11 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday, computer experts were still working to fix the problems, the court press service told RIA Novosti.
The Russian intelligence services said they suspect a hacker group known as LEGION RUSSIA was behind Tuesday’s attacks, Lifenews reported. The group is known to be affiliated to the famous Anonymous hacker group, which has been active around the world.
Experts believe the hackers did not need a high level of expertise and could well be school children having fun. “The court’s website is not much different from any online news site or a college website,” said Sergei Komarov, director of antivirus research and development Doctor Web. “We do not believe the perpetrators used some unique methods for hacking it.”
The Khamovnichesky Court has heard a series of high-profile court cases in recent years, including that of the Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was sentenced to a second term in jail term there in December, 2010. Earlier this month, Pussy Riot's trial was delayed for a few hours following a bomb threat from an unknown source.
