John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 10.11.2022 00:Oct AM EDT

One of Iran’s State TV Channels Was Briefly Hacked

Iranian protesters are taking their grievances to the digital world and TV waves.

A hacking group of unknown origin has reportedly hacked into one of Iran's state-run TV channels, which showed the country's Supreme Leader burning and in the crosshairs.

The hacking comes as protests against the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the hands of Iran's so-called morality police for not covering her hair properly.

Iran State TV Channel Hack Details

The hack happened during a news bulletin of the state-run TV channel on Oct. 8. While presenting the news of the day, the broadcast was suddenly cut to show a black-bearded mask with streaks of green and red paint on both its cheeks, which seemed to form the Iranian flag. Although not exactly a Guy Fawkes mask usually utilized by hacking groups like Anonymous, some similarities can be drawn between the two, per Gizmodo.

It then cut to a graphic of Iran's Supreme Leader engulfed in flames and targetted by a crosshair, with a message written in Arabic. The message reads, "The blood of our youths is on your hands," per the English translation of Al Alarabiya, a Dubai-based international Arabic television news channel.

Another message the graphic displayed invited people to join the hacking group's cause and to "rise up," per BBC.

The graphic also displayed pictures of the four women killed during the protests against the actions of Iran's so-called morality police against women who don't wear their hijab properly.

For those unaware, a hijab is a garment worn by some Muslim women to cover their hair to appear modest and conservative. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the hijab is normally worn because of tradition, but in some countries, like Iran, women are required by law to wear a hijab following the Islamic Revolution.

Of the four pictures displayed in the graphic, Amini's was placed second from the right. Meanwhile, the pictures furthest from the left and right belong to Sarina Esmailzadeh, a woman who died in the hands of Iran's security forces on Sept. 23 for participating in the protests, per The Guardian.

Lastly, the second picture from the left belongs to Hadis Najafi, a 23-year-old woman whom Iran's security forces allegedly shot to death during a protest.

It is unknown if the hacking group responsible for the hack, which called itself "Adalat Ali," or Ali's Justice, originated from Iran itself or an external group trying to facilitate a regime change in Iran.

The Reason Behind The Protest

The protests were caused by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was killed by Iran's morality police for not covering her hair properly with her hijab - an act required by Iranian law.

Amini was detained in Tehran by the morality police, where she died three days after her arrest.

Official reports say that Amini died of an unrelated heart attack caused by a pre-existing condition before her time in custody. However, the lawyer for her family said that "respectable doctors" believe she was hit while in the morality police's care, per Al Jazeera.

Amini's father also added that she suffered bruises to her legs and held the country's morality police responsible for her death.