Bangkok — Members of the Russian-Belarus rock band Bi-2 who have been held in Thailand on immigration charges have been allowed to fly to Israel amid co
Bangkok — Members of the Russian-Belarus rock band Bi-2 who have been held in Thailand on immigration charges have been allowed to fly to Israel amid concerns they would be deported to Russia over the groups anti-war stance.
The band had been performing a concern in Phuket, a popular island in Thailand, but were arrested by Thai immigration officials for working without a permit last week.
The members were initially held in Phuket before being moved to detention in Bangkok.
Bi-2 has been a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s foreign ministry accused the group of supporting terrorism. Previously Moscow had labeled Yegor «Lyova» Bortnik, the band’s front man, as a foreign agent over his comments opposing Russian’s war in Ukraine.
Statements of the band’s detention in Thailand have been regularly posted on social media accounts. Some blamed the group’s legal troubles on outside pressure on Thailand.
Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director for Human Rights Watch, said Thailand made the right decision.
‘Human rights concerns won out in Thailand’s decision to let all the Bi-2 band members travel to the safety of Israel. Bangkok was right to refuse Moscow’s demands to send these activist artists back to face certain persecution and worse in Russia. But while this particular Russian trans-national repression gambit failed, there is little doubt the Kremlin’s rights-abusing autocrats will keep trying to silence exiled Russian critics by hook or by crook, wherever they can,’ he said in a press statement.
The seven-member band, which includes citizens of Russia, Israel and Australia, had been in diplomatic limbo after initial plans to deport them to Israel were cancelled.
