Tomas Mazetti of Swedish PR agency Studio Total, who piloted an aircraft that invaded Belarus’ airspace on July 4, 2012 to drop teddy bears in a show of support for free speech and democracy, denies photographer Anton Surapin’s involvement.
The 20-year-old photographer whose news web site first released pictures of teddy bears dropped by the Swedish pilots is being kept in the KGB predetetion centre. He is facing up to seven years of imprisonment for asserted aiding the Swedes in illegal border crossing.
The PR agency would issue a statement soon to deny Mr. Surapin’s involvement in the stunt and was ready to provide any information to Belarus’ law enforcement agencies, he told Belarusian information company Belapan. The organizers were ready to be questioned by Belarusian investigators in Sweden, Mazetti added.
The news site Belarusian News Photos, founded by Mr. Surapin, ran the photos of the teddy bears with miniature placards lying on the grass hours after the alleged drop. In his comments, Mr. Surapin said that he had received them from an anonymous author living outside Minsk.
Thomas Mazetti said that he did not know who could send the pictures to Anton Surapin. According to him, he saw many people taking pictures of the toys and any of them could send them to the photographer.
Belsat
