Belarus guard gets 2-year prison sentence for teddy bear "invasion"

In this undated photo provided by Studio Total, teddy bears hang on parachutes during a training run in Stockholm, Sweden. Thomas Mazetti and Hannah Frey from Sweden dropped hundreds of teddy bears carrying slogans supporting human rights and media freedom into Belarus on July 4, 2012. / AP Photo/Studio Total/Per Cromwell

MINSK, Belarus A  Belarusian court has handed out a two-year prison sentence to a border guard who failed to protect the ex-Soviet nation from foreign teddy bears.

Belarus Supreme Court said Monday the guard has been convicted of failure to report an intrusion of a light plane that dropped hundreds of teddy bears decked out in parachutes and slogans supporting human rights over the tightly controlled country of 10 million. The court wouldn't give his name or rank.

• Teddy bears bring down 2 Belarus generals

Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed "Europe's last dictator" in the West, already sacked several top defense officials over the July 4 incident, in which two Swedish advertising agency employees piloted a light plane into Belarus' heavily guarded airspace in a show of support for Belarusian human rights activists.

[SoupFly22]

I think the choice of English does underscore that when Belarus gives up its dictator it will not only be giving up that, but it's identity in general.

However - that point is entirely academic. Yes, Belarus will someday be on the fast track to English replacing Russian and Belarusian (please I mention it only to please purists)...and to obesity, love of violent movies, and McDonald's - but that'll come almost without warning - it won't be noticed, it'll just be the way things are, some day.

Swedes have a language 'Swedish" but 90% of them speak english, and about 40 percent speak english every day as their main language.

they would regard English as the proper intermediary language to speak at Belarus with - and probably Belarus would perceive it the same. Why speak bad russian at them, instead of just using the language invented for this purpose - english?

I'm joking about the history of how and why English go to this point, but the reality is, it is the international language at this point.

[Eosphorus]

English language is not entirely uncommon in these parts. Virtually every other school teaches it.

[rktrog]

except mexican schools. I have yet to see a fresh from the border person able to speak english oe even considering learning it.

[PourpaixPourpaix]

Seems like only a fool would drop banners in English on a Russia-speaking country. It's doubtful that as many as three people in a hundred would understand the English message.

[Lowde2000]

You are correct that it should have been written in Belarusian, but when Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the church, the Church said no one would understand, as most people couldn't read. People found a way. People will find a way.

[Aussie_convict]

"In this undated photo provided by Studio Total, teddy bears hang on parachutes during a training run in Stockholm, Sweden"

Seems like only a fool wouldn't read whats written under the photo.