Mexico Rocked as Hackers Revolt for Independence Day

Protesters slam election, violence, corruption
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 17, 2012 1:06 AM CDT
Updated Sep 17, 2012 2:33 AM CDT
Mexican Hackers Strike in Independence Day Protest
Mexican federal police secure the area where 17 dismembered bodies were found in the town of Tizapan el Alto yesterday.   (AP Photo/Bruno Gonzalez)

Mexican hackers took over several government and other websites in an Independence Day protest yesterday. The "Mexican Cyber" protest targeted public agencies, political parties, and the media, and replaced hacked pages with messages slamming the presidential election, corruption, drug violence, and economic problems, reports the BBC. "This a peaceful cyber protest," said a statement posted by the hackers. "We are not criminals. We are students, workers, and productive Mexicans who are fed up and looking for a way to express our disagreement."

The statement branded President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto as an "imposed president," and charged that democracy was "stolen" in the July election. As if to underline the hackers' concerns about ongoing drug-related violence, police yesterday discovered 17 mutilated bodies dumped in the town of Tizapan el Alto. The bodies, all male, were naked and stacked, with chains around their necks, reports the AP. The area, close to the border between Jalisco and Michoacan, is a battleground for drug cartels. (More Mexico stories.)

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