Jailed for teddy bear photos

Is there anyone more insecure than a dictator?
What else but an overwhelming fear of losing power could result in the arrest of someone for posting photos of teddy bears on the Internet?
You read that last sentence correctly: Teddy bears.
The incredible fiasco started earlier this month.
An advertising company in Sweden named Studio Total decided to put together a non-violent stunt on July 4 protesting the lack of freedom of expression, free speech, and free press in Belarus.
The plan, silly as it sounds, was to take up to 1,000 teddy bears to Lithuania, then fly a private plane over the border and avoid being detected by the Belarusian military.
Somewhere near Minsk, the capital, the teddy bears were dropped, each with a parachute and an attached message calling for freedom of expression in Belarus. To say that the regime of Alexander Lukashenka was not amused would be an understatement.
The “last dictator in Europe,” as President Bush dubbed him, was furious.
Now the idea of 1,000 parachuting teddy bears isn’t something you come across every day. It’s a publicity stunt, but it also qualifies as news.
At least Anton Surapin thought so. A budding journalist and photographer, he shot some pictures and video and posted them on a web site.
On July 13, he was arrested.
Though he should have been either charged or released by July 23, he’s still being held by the Belarusian KGB.
He’s 20 years old and could face a prison term of seven years.
His “crime” is taking pictures of parachuting teddy bears.
And he is a threat to the corrupt gangster who runs his country.
Which brings us back to the original question: Is there anyone more insecure than a dictator? — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]