Russian rock group opposed to war faces expulsion in Thailand

Members of the music group Bi-2 were arrested by Thai police last week and authorities are threatening to deport them to Russia. Exiled Russian artists are not safe anywhere.

It is an arrest that can be described as excessive zeal on the part of the local Thai police, following a concert given in the seaside resort of Phuket, in the south of the country. The musicians of a Russian rock group were arrested and detained, a police source told AFP on January 24. The government even planned to deport them to their country of origin, Russia. They are accused of having performed on stage without a work visa.

A fairly common situation in Thailand, which is generally resolved by paying a large fine, after spending a short night in prison. But this time, the Thai police are threatening to expel members of the Russian-Belarusian group Bi-2 to Moscow. It is one of the most awarded groups in Russia, but considered by the Kremlin as a “foreign agent“. A designation reserved for personalities critical of Vladimir Putin’s policies. Since then, several human rights organizations have come forward to the Thai government. They point out that the members of Bi-2 risk , at a minimum, prison if they are returned to Russia.

The Thai government now finds itself under intense diplomatic pressure from several countries. First of all Israel, since four of the seven members of Bi-2 have an Israeli passport. The singer of the group Igor Bortnik, the Kremlin’s main target, was also exfiltrated on the night of January 30 to Tel Aviv and is therefore no longer threatened. But when Israeli diplomats attempted the same operation with the other musicians, Thai authorities refused to release them.

A blacklist of artists established by the Kremlin

Russia is also putting pressure on the Thai authorities. Just after the intervention of members of the Israeli embassy, ​​Russian diplomats showed up at the Thai police premises. This intervention in Thailand finally convinced the Russian journalist in exile, Mikhail Kozyrev, that the Kremlin has not abandoned its hunt for opposition artists, wherever they are in the world. “Maria Zakharova, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed the wish that these dissidents be sent home, as soon as possible, because she accuses them of supporting terrorism. This is all part of a special operation, which the we can compare it to political revenge, against these artists who are against Putin and against the war”explains the journalist.

According to an anonymous testimony published by the Guardian, a blacklist of artists, which the Kremlin wishes to recover, was even provided to the Thai authorities. The latter have already sanctioned artists openly opposed to the war. In particular, they decided to cancel the shows of Maxim Galkin and Ruslan Beliy, two very popular comedians in Russia. The NGO Amnesty International denounced this witch hunt, launched by Russia for many years, and which has intensified since the start of the Ukrainian conflict. A subject which is a priority for Vladimir Putin, in light of the pressure exerted today on the Thai government.