Hackers from the group Anonymous disabled multiple Guatemalan government webpages, including the judicial branch, department of Agriculture, the Prosecutors Office and the General Secretary’s page. Some pages remained down for hours and then reloaded. The group announced on social media that on October 14th they would “attack” the Government of Guatemala and used the hashtag “Free Guatemala” as they worked with other hacking groups.

The groups used a DDOS technique where they flooded the webpages’ automated cyber traffic until they crashed. Guatemalan authorities told AP that the hacking was a matter of “national security.” The hackers stated that everything they do is to “support humanity” and fight against “corruption and impunity”

The cyber attacks follow days of protests involving social leaders, indigenous people and the general public against police repression towards citizens. They also demanded members of the Public Prosecutors Office resign, namely the Attorney General Consuelo Porras and prosecutors Rafael Curruchiche and Cynthia Monterroso and Judge Fredy Orellana, accusing them of interfering with the democratic process throughout the general election. Many citizens believe that these individuals are forming a “coup” as a way of preventing the inauguration of President-elect Bernardo Arevalo in January 2024.

Throughout the protests, police presence has been increasing and they have used force as a way to control the crowds. However, many groups such as CODECA Guatemala have urged people to keep resisting.