Anti-war protest rock band Bi-2 risks being deported to Russia
The rising anti-war rock band Bi-2 are currently visiting Thailand but risks being deported back to Russia, where they could face years of imprisonment for opposing the war against Ukraine.
All seven members of Bi-2 were arrested on January 25th, after a gig at a popular resort in Pukhet for allegedly failing to obtain the correct papers to work in the country.
Five of the members travelled using Russian passports, and at least four members are Israeli nationals, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The band’s touring keyboardist, Gleb Kolyadin, primarily a member of the band Iamthemorning, is registered to live in the UK at present.
Russia has previously singled out the two co-founding members of Bi-2, Aleksandr ‘Shura’ Uman and Yegor ‘Lyova’ Bortnik, for opposing Vladimir Putin’s ongoing military opposition in Ukraine.
On their official Facebook page, Bi-2 said all their “concerts are held in accordance with local laws and practices.”
The band paid fines of 3,000 baht (approximately £67) each. They were then sent to the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok, according to Human Rights Watch. On January 29th, Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch revealed that the group was still incarcerated, likely “to face harsh prosecution and other grave dangers in the hands of Russian authorities.”
“Under no circumstances should Bangkok hand them over to Moscow, which will blatantly breach both international and Thai laws,” he added.
Kolyadin’s Iamthemorning bandmate Marjana Semkina posted on Facebook to appeal for intervention. “If anyone has any connection to appropriate news outlets, I’d appreciate the help,” she wrote. “The more this gets around, the more pressure Thailand authorities will feel to not give in to Putin’s bullying and not aid and abet his tyrannical system.”
In another update on X, formerly Twitter, Semkina wrote: “UK doesn’t seem very eager to help Gleb, he’s not a UK citizen.Just a Global Talent. Except getting deported to your residence address and not country of citizenship isn’t unheard of and if the latter happens he might be terribly persecuted. So maybe worth a try?!”
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