[1]Yuzuko Horigome and her violin. Photo used with permission from Change.org Japan.
On August 16, 2012, German customs officials at Frankfurt Airport seized a Guarneri violin from Japanese professional musician Yuzuko Horigome when she failed to present correct documentation. They demanded that she pay nearly US$ 500,000 in order to get it back.
Some 5,400 people signed a petition on Change.org [2] asking Frankfurt Airport Customs to release the violin without requiring any payment.