Russian band critical of Putin detained after concert in Thailand, facing possible deportation to Russia

Bangkok — Members of a rock band that has been essential of Moscow’s war in Ukraine remained locked up Tuesday in a Thai immigration jail, fearful that they might be deported to Russia as a reported plan to allow them to fly to security in Israel was apparently suspended.

The progressive rock band Bi-2 stated on Fb that it had data that intervention from Russian diplomats prompted the plan to be scuttled, though tickets had already been bought for his or her flight.

“The group contributors stay detained on the immigration heart in a shared cell with 80 individuals,” the publish stated. It stated they declined to satisfy with the Russian consul. The Russian press company RIA Novosti stated the refusal was confirmed by Ilya Ilyin, head of the Russian Embassy’s consular part.

The group later stated on the Telegram messaging app that its singer, Yegor Bortnik, whose stage title is Lyova, boarded a flight for Israel late Tuesday, however the different members remained within the jail.

The seven band members had been arrested final Thursday after taking part in a live performance on the southern resort island of Phuket, reportedly for not having correct working papers. On Fb, they stated all their concert events “are held in accordance with native legal guidelines and practices.” Phuket is a popular destination for Russian expats and tourists. After paying a high-quality, the band members had been despatched to the Immigration Detention Middle in Bangkok.

The detained musicians “embody Russian residents in addition to twin nationals of Russia and different nations, together with Israel and Australia,” the group Human Rights Watch stated in a press release Tuesday. These holding solely Russian citizenship are considered most in danger.

“The Thai authorities ought to instantly launch the detained members of Bi-2 and permit them to go on their approach,” stated Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “By no means ought to they be deported to Russia, the place they may face arrest or worse for his or her outspoken criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.”

“It’s not identified if the Russian authorities have sought the band members’ forcible return to Russia,” Human Rights Watch stated. “Nonetheless, amid repression in Russia reaching new heights, Russian authorities have used transnational repression — abuses dedicated in opposition to nationals past a authorities’s jurisdiction — to focus on activists and authorities critics overseas with violence and different illegal actions.”

Thai International Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara instructed reporters Wednesday that the nation’s “Nationwide Safety Council is trying into the matter, seeing what are particulars, together with the band members’ names and nationalities,” in keeping with French information company AFP.

“If the band members didn’t violate any legal guidelines, we can’t simply deport them as a result of there are worldwide legal guidelines on this,” he was quoted as saying. “But when they violated the legal guidelines, we’ve to behave on it in keeping with authorized procedures.”

The Nationwide Safety Council is Thailand’s highest rating physique on nationwide safety points and is chaired by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. It contains different senior authorities ministers, together with army and police officers.

Self-exiled Russian opposition politician and a buddy of Bi-2, Dmitry Gudkov, instructed the AP that he had been in contact with legal professionals and diplomats in an try and safe the band’s launch and instructed that stress to detain and deport them got here instantly from the Kremlin and the Russian International Ministry.

Russia, Gudkov stated, wants an “evocative story to indicate that they’ll catch any critic overseas. That is all taking place within the run-up to (Russia’s presidential election), and it is clear that they need to shut everybody up, and that is why there’s intense stress occurring.”

Russia’s ambassador to Thailand Yevgeny Tomikhin stated Russian diplomats weren’t answerable for the group’s detention.

“It is not our follow to dictate to anybody. People can do that. We do not behave like that and do not make such requests,” Tomikhin was quoted as telling the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Bi-2 has 1.01 million subscribers to its YouTube channel and 376,000 month-to-month listeners on Spotify.

Andrei Lugovoi, a member of the decrease home of Russia’s parliament, referred to as the band members “scum” for his or her criticism of Russia’s army operations in Ukraine.

“Let the blokes prepare: quickly they are going to be taking part in and singing on spoons and on metallic plates, faucet dancing in entrance of their cellmates,” Lugovoi stated on Telegram. “Personally, I might be very glad to see this.”

Britain has accused Lugovoi of involvement within the dying of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London in 2006 after being poisoned with tea laced with radioactive polonium-210. A British decide said about a decade later, after a full investigation, that Putin himself “most likely authorized” Litvinenko’s homicide.