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Studio Total via EPA
A Swedish advertising agency parachuted the 879 teddy bears over a residential area in Minsk, Belarus, on July 4, 2012.
A Belarusian border guard was sentenced to two years in prison Monday for failing to report a border crossing by a Swedish plane that parachuted hundreds of teddy bears into the country carrying pro-democracy protest messages.
The sentence was announced by the Belarusian Supreme Court, which said the unnamed officer would be sent to a maximum-security facility, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
The Associated Press and Charter 97, an independent news service opposed to the government of dictator Alexander Lukashenko, also reported the announcement.
The strife over the stuffies eventually escalated into a diplomatic war between Belarus, a former Soviet republic of about 10 million, and Sweden. Each nation expelled the other's ambassador after the parachute drop on July 4, which is also Belarus' Independence Day. Sweden has long been open about its desire to see democracy take root in Belarus.
Belarus didn't publicly acknowledge the airdrop until two weeks later, when Lukashenko criticized the military for allowing the plane to enter Belarusian airspace. He also fired the foreign minister and the generals in charge of air defense and the border patrol.
Authorities also arrested two civilians: a journalism student who put pictures of the teddy bears on his website and a property manager who offered an apartment to the plane's Swedish pilots, two of four pro-democracy advertising agents who dreamed up the stunt. They told NBC News last year that they hoped the diplomatic spat would increase pressure on Lukashenko.
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Wow. The Burgermeister Meisterburger is alive and well in Belarus and has returned to his old ways. I thought Kris Kringle had melted his heart. Maybe his yo yo broke and he doesn't like teddy bears. Sad.
Every government, regardless how good or bad wants to protect itself and its agenda. Our government is not much different. I worked as an attorney in one of the States and once I brough to light corruption of cops and prosecutors, they destroyed and took away every piece of property I had, including my house. They almost put me in jail by producing fake witnesses in aim to destroy my reputation. There was nobody to stand up for me even though, most people knew that I stood up against fraudulent activities.
I hope you made it out of there, Alec....
Lets all send their Comander a Teddy lots of teddys until he say please no more teddys we will let him out just stop sending teddys.
Another brutal and out-of-control dictator.
Heck....... well come to america...... southern cal...esp......La ........where they burn the house down to get you...cuz they are to scared to come..... and confront you....
Well......... come to america......even being an american......the patriot act is reason to kill you .......you catch my drift......
Europe's last dictator, not including a resurgent Putin, must go ASAP! We have not been able to get rid of him for two decades, but run all over north Africa and the Middle East trying to get rid of dictators...Belarus does not have much oil or natural gas and now Germany and Russia have gas pipelines under the Baltic to bypass Belarus. Unfortunately, this change will not likely happen soon, but will..in another 10-20 years as the economic growth of all their neighbors leaves them in the dust.
Can we use big sling shots to send more bears over the borders?
We need a drop here in America where democracy is dead and the people have corrupted the judicial system to prosecute others for reasons just as idiotic.
In the USA.......California........ that will get you life with with no chance of ever getting out.....BUT....It will get probably get you killed first......as bad is it is getting in this country......
I hope he just grinds and BEARS it. OH so sorry that is so corny I can't BEAR it any more. Don't shoot the person BEARING the note ...or the messenger. Now BEAR in mind that i hope the best for the poor chap.
July the 3rd is Belarus' Independance day. Dang NBC/MSN can't you all get anything right? Source; wikipedia Independence days per country
Belarus Independence day is July 3, 1944. The liberation of Minsk after several years of German
occupation in 1944.
Wonder what they would have done with the poor guy if a meteor hit the country???
We have our own dictators over in San Burnadino and LA..............
Did any of the bears $#!+ in the woods? That may have been the reason for the sentence.
Commy bastar***d's they are still alive and well......
This has got to be a joke, prison over Teddy Bears??????? IQ's are dropping faster than incomes on this planet!
I love freedom and teddy bears and sky-dove 4 times but without my bears along for the ride. This incident is beyond outrageous. I'll be scratching Belarus (which should now be known as something like "that Hell Hole Where They Hates Teddy Bears and Freedom"), off my list of exotic places to visit.
normal thing , here tedy bears jump border all day long
WTF? It's not April 1 so it can't be an April fools joke. These people are more immature than our Congress.
Are the people of Belarus going to continue tolerating a system of tyranny actually capable of sending someone to prison for 2 years over an army of cute little bear-a-troopers?!
If you read the article you would see that the charge was dereliction of duty, the guard failed to report that Belarussian airspace was being violated. The airplane in question had flown over Victory Square (which is akin to flying over the white house), He (the guard) did not report the transgression and that was what he was arrested for. As for tyranny I would very very strongly suggest that you look at society in belarus and see exactly how Belarussians are doing, they are the nicest gentlest people in Europe and for the most part are definitely the most content, I have first hand experience and most Belarussians feel that it is the 'West' dictating to them how they should live their lives and feel that the 'West should butt out and mind their own business and fix their own problems first before trying to tell other people how to live their lives. After all we don't have presidents telling our military it is ok to kill our citizens without even a trial not do we have drones in the sky nor do we have Government agencies harvesting photos from facebook, digitizing them and storing them so they can be compared to drone photos nor have we had 1901 killings using guns since 14/12/2012
I was more than ready to hope this incident was just an extra early April Fool's joke, as it sure sounded like one and would have been such a good laugh. Now I feel more like crying.
Poor belarus, what most people are unaware of is the fact that in Belarus most people are quite happy and content with the way things are, it is a country that has seen so much war, death and violence that finally there is a sustained peace and now along comes all these other people and try to dictate to the belarussians how they should live their lives when all they want to is to live in peace. the Belarussians are some of the nicest people in Europe, they have the lowest crime rate and the police many times do not carry guns,One can walk through Minsk, or Brest or Azarichi any time day or night without any fear, yet because people don't agree with our politics they want to change to their ways, yes there are problems however look at the United States or Sweden and look at the mass murders that have occured, Belarus hasn't seen a mass murder since the fall of the Third Reich (including the times of occupation by the Soviets)
Plato's Dialogues describes how the tyrants take full advantage of the violence and chaos of war when the people get so extremely desperate for quiet that they are willing to surrender their most basic freedoms and rights to get it. Don't forget "Those who give up liberty for security deserve neither", a saying attributed to Benjamin Franklin.
Oh Belarus, where is your sense of whimsy?
I bet they will take away their assault Teddy Bears.
FYI: Belarus' Independence Day is July 3rd, not 4th, like the article stated.
Just goes to show you how we try to force our views and beliefs upon others, and how much fear permeates through out our civilization.