Thailand could deport a Russian rock band that criticized the battle in Ukraine to Russia

5 of the seven musicians of the progressive rock group Bi-2 traveled on Russian passports, police Lt. Pakpoom Rojanawipak instructed the AP information company.

No less than 4 members of the group are reportedly Israeli residents, together with its two founders, Alexander “Shur” Uman and Yegor “Liov” Bortnik. The latter can also be an Australian citizen.

Nonetheless shot/Bi-2 musicians arrested in Thailand

Russia is thought for its harsh crackdown on members of the cultural group who criticize the battle, even these based mostly overseas. Up to now, the Kremlin has particularly talked regarding A. Uman and J. Bortnik, noting that they didn’t assist Russian army actions in Ukraine.

The band members, who had been suspected of not having the right work papers, had been arrested on Thursday following a live performance on the southern resort island of Phuket.

On their official Fb web page, they mentioned that each one their “live shows are held in accordance with native legal guidelines and practices.”

In line with Human Rights Watch (HRW) consultant Sunai Phasuk and Israeli press reviews, following paying 3 thousand every baht (regarding 78 euros) in fines, they had been detained by the immigration police, who despatched them to an immigration detention heart within the capital, Bangkok.

Organizers’ picture/”Bi-2″

Dmitry Gudkov, an expatriate Russian opposition politician and pal of the Bi-2 group, instructed the Russian-language editorial employees of Australian radio station SBS that he believed Moscow was pressuring Thailand to deport the group’s members to Russia.

He was seconded by S. Phasuk, who confirmed that each one seven arrested musicians had been nonetheless being held in a Bangkok jail on Monday.

“Members of the dissident rock group Bi-2 might face extreme persecution and different critical risks by the hands of the Russian authorities,” Phasuk instructed AP. “Bangkok ought to not at all hand them over to Moscow, as this may clearly violate each worldwide and Thai legislation.”

Photograph of the organizers/Group “Bi-2”

Thai immigration police have but to remark.

Marjana Siomkina, a member of the Iamthemorning group, wrote on the X social community that her colleague Gleb Koliadin was one of many seven arrested. Ms Semkina, a Russian-born singer-songwriter who lives within the UK, mentioned Mr Koliadin, who now lives within the UK, performed keyboards within the band Bi-2.

In her assertion, she described Bi-2 as “someday inconvenient for the Russian authorities as a result of they’re a really giant group that’s clearly anti-war and anti-(Russian President Vladimir) Putin, so that they left the nation a while in the past, as did Gleb.”