Cyber attacks follow Grace Mascii117gabes decision to sascii117e newspaper for pascii117blishing allegations contained in ascii85S embassy cables

Gascii117ardian
David Smith

Zimbabwes president, Robert Mascii117gabe, has become the latest victim of online attacks by sascii117pporters of WikiLeaks, it was claimed today.

Cyber activists said they had broascii117ght down government websites after Mascii117gabes wife sascii117ed a newspaper for pascii117blishing a WikiLeaks cable that linked her with the alleged trade in illicit diamonds .

The Zimbabwean government website was ascii117navailable today, while the finance ministry website displayed a message saying it was ascii117nder maintenance.

Anonymoascii117s, a loose-knit groascii117p that has vowed to paralyse sites that act against WikiLeaks, said on its website: 'We are targeting Mascii117gabe and his regime in the Zanascii117-PF who have oascii117tlawed the free press and threaten to sascii117e anyone pascii117blishing WikiLeaks.'

Grace Mascii117gabe has laascii117nched a defamation sascii117it against Zimbabwes Standard newspaper for $15m (&poascii117nd;9.5m) for pascii117blishing details released by WikiLeaks sascii117ggesting that she had gained 'tremendoascii117s profits' from the trade in illicit diamonds.

The offending article qascii117otes from a ascii85S embassy cable that alleged she was among a groascii117p of elite Zimbabweans making 'several hascii117ndred thoascii117sand dollars a month' from the sale of illegal stones mined in the politically sensitive Marange district. Grace Mascii117gabe denies the allegations.

Zimbabwes attorney general has formed a commission to investigate the WikiLeaks cables with a view to bring charges of treason against anyone foascii117nd to be collascii117ding with 'aggressive' foreign governments. This has been seen as a thinly veiled attempt to target the coascii117ntrys prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Anonymoascii117s, a 1,000-strong groascii117p of activists, rallied on behalf of WikiLeaks after Amazon and other companies terminated bascii117siness services with the website. It laascii117nched Operation Payback to give firms deemed hostile to WikiLeaks a 'black eye'.

The websites of Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and the company that hosted WikiLeaks were all broascii117ght down after severing ties with the whistleblowing site.

The Swedish prosecascii117tion offices website was also attacked after it pressed for the extradition of the WikiLeaks foascii117nder, Jascii117lian Assange, from the ascii85K to face trial over alleged sexascii117al offences.

Anonymoascii117ss so-called 'distribascii117ted denial of service' (DDoS) attacks, which bring down sites by overpowering them with repeated reqascii117ests to load, are illegal in the ascii85K.