Cyber attacks cripple sites raising Papua human rights abuses

The websites of several NGOs campaigning for human rights in West Papua have come under cyber attack this week, with commentators suspecting Indonesia as being behind it.

Survival International, the Asian Human Rights Commission, Friends of People Close to Nature, Free West Papua Campaign and West Papua Media Alerts have seen their websites crippled in what is being described as a co-ordinated cyber terrorism act.

All these campaign groups recently hosted video footage showing Indonesian troops torturing Papuans which Jakarta this week confirmed was authentic.

New Zealand activist Nicky Hager says such cyber attacks are becoming more frequent:

“Yeah this is a growth area in international conflict. You’ll find that many of the larger or more aggressive countries in the world have invested in this capability where they can do cyber attacks. And you’re seeing it more and more around the world and because the potential is there, countries are using it.”


(2010-10-29/rnzi.com)