Teddy bears bring down 2 Belarus generals
It's probably the first time in history that teddy bears
have defeated generals.
Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has
sacked two of the nation's top defense officials after two Swedish advertising
agency employees piloted a light plane into the country's heavily guarded
airspace, dropping 879 teddy bears decked out in parachutes and slogans
supporting human rights.
Officials in the ex-Soviet state denied the July 4
incident until Lukashenko called a meeting last week to scold authorities for
allowing such a "provocation."
The Belarusian ruler nicknamed "Europe's last
dictator" on Tuesday fired the nation's air defense chief and the head of
the Border Guards service and reprimanded several other top security officials,
his office said Wednesday.
Thomas Mazetti and Hannah Frey, the two Swedes behind the
stunt, said they wanted to show support for Belarusian human rights activists
and embarrass the country's military, a pillar of Lukashenko's power.
"Hopefully, we've made people more aware in the
world and that there will be more people supporting Belarusian people,"
Frey said.
The world's enduring dictators: Aleksander Lukashenko,
Belarus
The Swedes' yearlong preparations involved learning how
to pilot the three-seater Jodel aircraft and purchasing the plane. They
financed the $184,500 cost of the stunt with their work in a small advertising
agency.
The pair said they were inspired by similar protests
staged by Belarusian activists, who have at times arranged plush toys in such a
way that they appeared to be protesting the regime.
"Our campaign was a campaign in support of that. An
airlift in support of the teddy bears, from teddy bears around the world,"
Mazetti said.
The flight began and ended at the Pociunai airfield in
southern Lithuania. Thunderstorms that day may have made it harder for Belarus
to scramble aircraft to intercept their plane, said Mazetti, though he
acknowledged they risked being shot down.
"We flew an airplane at 50 meters, that's 150 feet,
for one and a half hours inside Belarus. Of course we were aware of the risks.
But it was a calculated risk and we thought we needed to take that risk
ourselves - we couldn't hire anyone," he told The Associated Press during
an interview in Berlin, where the two are currently staying. "But we will
not do it again tomorrow, if I put it that way."
Authorities in Belarus have also arrested a journalism
student who posted teddy bear photos on his personal website and a real estate
agent who offered an apartment to the Swedes. The two men were accused of
assisting border violators and face up to seven years in prison if convicted.
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