Dissident Russian rockers held in Thailand fly to Israel, says band

BANGKOK – A dissident Russian-Belarusian rock band held in Thailand on immigration charges has left the kingdom to fly to Israel, according to a post on Feb 1 on the group’s official Facebook page.

Bi-2 has criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, and the arrest of its members sparked fears they would be deported to Russia, where they would face persecution.

Thailand’s National Security Council, chaired by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, took charge of the case on Jan 31, and early on Feb 1, the band’s Facebook page confirmed its members had left the country.

“All musicians of the Bi-2 group have safely left Thailand and are heading to Tel Aviv,” read the post.

Several members of the band have dual nationalities, including Israeli and Australian.

On Jan 31, the band said singer Egor Bortnik, known by his stage name Lyova – had already left Thailand to fly to Israel.

The band members were held last week after they played a gig on Phuket, a southern island popular with Russian holidaymakers.

Thai officials said they were arrested for performing without the correct work permits and transferred to an immigration detention centre in Bangkok.

The organisers of the band’s Thailand concerts – which included a show at the raucous beach resort of Pattaya – said all the necessary permits were obtained, but the band members had been issued tourist visas in error.

Organiser VPI Event accused the Russian consulate of having waged a campaign to cancel the concerts since December 2023, and said it had faced “unprecedented pressure” as it sought the band’s release.

Bi-2 is well known in Russia.

Several of its concerts were cancelled in 2022 after it refused to play at a venue with banners supporting the war in Ukraine, after which the band members left Russia.

One of the band’s founders has openly denounced the Putin government, saying it makes him feel “only disgust” and accusing the long-serving leader of having “destroyed” Russia.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) earlier this week urged Thailand to let the band members go free, saying they would face “persecution” if returned to Russia – pointing to comments by a Kremlin Foreign Ministry spokeswoman accusing the band of “sponsoring terrorism”.

HRW said Russia’s Foreign Ministry in 2023 designated frontman Bortnik a “foreign agent” for opposing the war in Ukraine.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya weighed in on the case on Jan 31, urging Thailand to “find a solution” to ensure the band’s freedom.

“I’m worried about the situation involving the Belarus-born rock band Bi-2,” she wrote on social media platform X. “It’s now absolutely clear that Russia is behind the operation to deport the band.” AFP