Pro-Assad hackers have taken over Al Jazeera’s homepage to protest its coverage

Conclusion: Al Jazeera is now back online. As of this moment, the group has yet to comment to TNW on the nature of the hack, total downtime, or any other related issue.

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Note: Not everyone is seeing the hacked page. At TNW we were split between seeing the hacked page, having the site time out, and seeing the normal homepage. 

Hackers have taken over the Al Jazeera homepage, using it as a billboard to protest the news organization’s coverage. The hackers appear to be pro-Bashar al-Assad, the current and bitterly embattled President of Syria. Violence has plagued Syria in recent months, leaving protesters and citizens dead across the country.

Tens of thousands are fleeing the country. The international community has called for his resignation.

The website looks like this at the moment:

TNW has a partial translation of the text [if you can do better, the comments are yours, and we will be watching]:

In response to your position against Syria (it’s people and its government) and your support of armed terrorists, and publishing false news…this is our response to you.

That specific translation is missing some of the middle section. At the time of publishing TNW is actively searching out a new, complete translation. The Al Jazeera site is not hacked for all. We have reports of it simply being down for some, and up, in its normal format for others.

TNW has reached out to Al Jazeera for comment on the hack.

This is not Al Jazeera’s only bit of recent controversy. It was recently muscled out of the Chinese market, after being refused new visas.

Update: Friend of TNW Ahmed Naguib translated the text for us. Here you go:

Due to your stance regarding Syria (The people and the government), for your support to armed terrorist groups, and for spreading rumors and false news, we hacked your website and this is our response to you.

Top Image Credit: Paul Keller