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Teddy Bear Democrats

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Dateline has a story the Belarussian Government didn’t want you to see...

To challenge what’s dubbed the last dictatorship in Europe, a maverick advertising company in Sweden set about a provocative stunt to illegally cross the border by plane and drop almost 800 teddy bears carrying pro-democracy messages.

After filming the story, video journalist Amos Roberts had his camera equipment confiscated by the authorities; others who tried to make it public were arrested; and the Belarussian Government denied for three weeks that the teddy drop had even happened.

But undeterred, Amos brings Dateline the story behind the audacious protest and the cover-up that followed, and looks at the conditions faced by people living under the iron rule of Alexander Lukashenko since 1994.

WATCH - Click to see his story.

BLOG - Amos writes about his experience being detained in Belarus and how he was able to complete his story despite having his equipment confiscated.

EXTRA - Follow the links on the right-hand side of the page to look at some of the worldwide media coverage of the teddy bear protest, including reports on Amos's detention in Belarus.




On air: 23rd October 2012

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