Conundrum

Is it ‘official’? I mean about not writing about the war, or the military, or procurements by the government or anything else that would upset the powers that be? The Sunday papers didn’t seem to think so, although there were a few bits and pieces about not giving details due to the recent pronouncements from the Defense Ministry.

The journalists are apprehensive, to be sure. Some of them have given it a break – no wonder – having been either seriously beaten up and threatened with death, or abducted and released so that they could get a taste of what may well happen to them if they disregard ‘orders’. Others are carrying on the good fight to inform us readers of what is still going on, in spite of the obvious dangers inherent in them fulfilling the dictates of their conscience and their profession.

The International Community is unanimous in their objections to what is considered a gross violation of the freedom of expression and of human rights violations. There has also been talk of pushing motions through legislative bodies abroad that will initiate investigations and procedures to file action in courts in the US against some of its citizens allegedly involved in ‘crimes’ while being residents here.

Civil Society? Difficult to say whether the majority of us agree with what is going on – vis-à-vis the pronouncements of the Defense Ministry and the assaults on, abductions and murders of journalists (and others). The die-hard defenders of the regime will, no doubt stand by the pronouncements and actions as ‘good’ for the country, given the war-situation. And there are many of us who wonder – aghast at what is going on – if there will be any respite from this assault on our freedom. And I also suppose there are many who don’t even know what’s going on.

So what is really going on? Does anybody know???