Rock band arrested in Phuket and face deportation to Russia

[reader]

From Thai PBS World

The Russian-sanctioned rock band Bi-2, which includes four Israeli citizens was arrested in Phuket last Thursday for performing without appropriate permits, Israeli media reported. The members of the band were all fined, had their passports confiscated, and were taken to a detention center.

There is a possibility that the band could be deported to Russia, where they face imprisonment over their opposition to the war on Ukraine.

Among the seven band members arrested are Yegor Burtnik and Alexander Uman, Israeli citizens. The band allegedly has two other Israeli citizens, but reports haven’t confirmed these members’ identities. The band has a history of legal trouble with the Russian Government, according the Jerusalem Post.

The band has a history of trouble for speaking out against the Russian government, including cancellation of shows, and Burtnik has even been listed as a “foreign agent” by the Russian Justice Ministry.

Even more alarming, neither Yegor nor Alexander have Russian citizenship, which would make an arrest very complicated for the Israeli foreign ministry to navigate. According to news reports, the decision to deport the band or not will be made today.

[Moses]

So many bullshit in one report No one journalist nowadays makes fact-checking. Even in WIKI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi-2

Belarussian group, established 36 years ago.  Popular in Russia because they sing in Russian. Living mostly in US, Australia and Israel.

Long and detailed history in Russian WIKI (use Google). https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Би-2

[10tazione]

1 hour ago, Moses said:

So many bullshit

Can't see anything you wrote contradict with the above  ... so where exactly is the bullshit?

[Moses]

5 hours ago, 10tazione said:

so where exactly is the bullshit?

"Russian-sanctioned rock band". There are no sanctions in Russia against band. Igor Bortnik (Leva) declared as "foreign agent". 

 

15 hours ago, reader said:

There is a possibility that the band could be deported to Russia

There is no "possibility" for foreign citizens to be deported to Russia because deportation is going under law agreements btw states. So, citizens of Israel will be deported to Israel. https://www.ynet.co.il/entertainment/article/bj11xjshct

15 hours ago, reader said:

where they face imprisonment over their opposition

Opposition to Russian-Ukrainian conflict isn't criminal here, in Russia.

15 hours ago, reader said:

The band has a history of legal trouble with the Russian Government

Band has no "history of troubles with Govt", band has "history of troubles"  with obstruction and boycott from Russian citizens, especially with  those, who has patriotic and right-wing views or has relatives in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Band had few attempts to make concerts here, but every time concerts were canceled because of pressure of citizens. Under such pressure band itself canceled (officially "rescheduled") concerts  https://vk.com/wall-225666_480975 (official page of group in vc.com social network, in Russian)

There also official message from band (translation by Google) dated by Jan 28: https://vk.com/b2band?w=wall-225666_523434

Quote

At the moment we are awaiting a transfer to Bangkok, where the issue of our stay in Thailand should be finally resolved. We are in touch with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, its representatives in Thailand are participating in resolving the situation. At the same time, the Australian consul who came to our place of detention was not allowed to see us.

 

[unicorn]

2 hours ago, Moses said:

...

Opposition to Russian-Ukrainian conflict isn't criminal here, in Russia...

https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/07/russia-criminalizes-independent-war-reporting-anti-war-protests

"...On March 23, 2022, Russia’s parliament adopted amendments effectively expanding the ban on criticizing the armed forces to banning criticism of all Russian government actions abroad...  Russia has enacted two laws, adopted and brought into force on March 4, that criminalize independent war reporting and protesting the war, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison..."

We're all wondering what will happen to Putin's opponent in the election. Will it be poisoning? Prison with hard labor? Simply taken off the ballot? Defenestration? Shot to death in front of the Kremlin? Plane blowing up?

 

[Moses]

7 hours ago, unicorn said:

We're all wondering what will happen to Putin's opponent in the election.

As usual: nothing. Putin always has opponents. Sometimes 5, sometimes more. Everyone is alive.

Right now 33 persons declared intention, 15 of them send docs to election commission, 11 of them filled all documents correctly, 4 already officially registered as candidates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Russian_presidential_election

[unicorn]

4 hours ago, Moses said:

As usual: nothing. Putin always has opponents...

As usual, complete BS. As I'm sure you're well aware, the only major candidate to oppose the war (and to support LGBT rights) was kicked off the ballot due to "spelling errors" and "poor handwriting" in her election paperwork. At least she's still alive. There's always that.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-presidential-hopeful-loses-appeal-against-election-officials-refusal-to-register-her-for-the-race

"A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine on Wednesday lost her appeal against election officials’ refusal to accept her nomination for the country’s presidential race that President Vladimir Putin is all but certain to win. Former regional legislator Yekaterina Duntsova has promoted her vision of a “humane” Russia “that’s peaceful, friendly and ready to cooperate with everyone on the principle of respect.”

The tight control that Putin has established during 24 years in power makes his reelection in March’s presidential vote all but assured. Prominent critics who could challenge him are either in prison or living abroad, and most independent media have been banned. Over the weekend, Russia’s Central Election Commission refused to accept Duntsova’s initial nomination by a group of supporters, citing errors in the paperwork, including spelling...".

Boris Nadezhdin has since stepped in as the only candidate to oppose the war (and support LGBT rights), but I can predict he will either be disqualified, killed, or jailed. 

https://www.politico.eu/article/anti-war-russian-cant-beat-vladimir-putin-feel-they-won-boris-nadezhdin/

"...With days to go until the deadline, Nadezhdin said he had gathered more than double the required number of signatures, a selection of which will be submitted to Russia’s capricious election authorities on Wednesday. In the past, signatures have been discounted for supposedly being illegible or forged, or because the information provided did not match that in often outdated government databases. Ahead of the curve, Nadezhdin’s campaign has recruited people with particularly neat handwriting to fill out his paperwork and will only be handing in “ideal” submissions.

But there is little doubt that the final decision will be made in the Kremlin. Whatever it does next will offer a glimpse of its own confidence levels. There are benefits to allowing an anti-war candidate to participate: It could add a veneer of legitimacy to Putin’s reelection and, by ensuring the turnout for Nadezhdin is low, further demoralize Kremlin critics.  But Alexander Kynev, a Moscow-based independent political analyst, said he thought it unlikely that the long-shot candidate would be allowed to stand. 

“It’s too big of a risk,” he said. “It would ruin the script of the presidential campaign” of making Putin’s rule seem uncontested...". 

Obviously, an election is a joke if you don't allow anyone to run against you who holds different views. There are only a few days left. Any bets on whether Nadezhdin will be disqualified, jailed, or murdered?

[reader]

From The Nation

By Agence France Presse

Anti-war Russian rockers held in Thailand arrive in Israel

A Russian-Belarusian band that denounces Moscow’s Ukraine invasion arrived in Israel Thursday after being held in Thailand on immigration charges that had sparked fears they could be deported to Russia and face prison.

The band, Bi-2, have criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin and left Russia in protest over the war in Ukraine. Their arrest in Thailand last week sparked fears they would be sent to Russia, which harshly punishes public criticism of its Ukraine campaign.

Russian independent media reported that Moscow’s diplomats were demanding the band be sent to Russia. “We’re free!” Bi-2 said on its Facebook page on Thursday, ending almost a week of uncertainty over the band’s fate. “Thank you to everyone who fought for and supported us,” it added.

Russia’s independent TV Rain outlet posted a video of the band at an Israeli airport. Several members of the band have dual nationalities, including Israeli and Australian.

Thailand’s National Security Council, chaired by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, took charge of the case on Wednesday.  The band said Wednesday that singer Egor Bortnik, known by his stage name Lyova — had already left Thailand to fly to Israel.

After landing in Israel they met with Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who said in a statement that the episode showed “the music will win”. Human rights advocates in Thailand cautiously welcomed the news.

“Even though they (are) all safe, we still want Thai authorities to respect arrest procedures strictly,” human rights lawyer Pornpen Khongkachonkiet told AFP. “It could (have) happened to me, you, and others without international attention as this case got.”

Pornpen said the band’s detention was another sign of creeping transnational repression within the kingdom. The case had alarmed Russians critical of Putin living abroad. Thailand is a popular destination for both Russian holidaymakers and emigrants.

Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thailand was “vulnerable to effective manipulation by larger states pursuing transnational repression”.    However, he said international pressure — and global economic concerns — had played a significant role.

“Thailand realised that they didn’t need to make a lot of enemies by doing Russia’s bidding in this case,” Robertson told AFP. “Russia may be a transnational repression superpower but they’re an economic weakling, and Thailand knows that.”

The band 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 also included a show in Pattaya — said all the necessary permits were obtained, but the band had been issued tourist visas in error.

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

Bi-2 is well known in Russia. Several of their concerts were cancelled in 2022 after they refused to play at a venue with banners supporting the war in Ukraine, after which they 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.

HRW earlier this week said the band would face “persecution” if returned to Russia — pointing to comments by a Kremlin foreign ministry spokeswoman accusing the band of “sponsoring terrorism”. The rights group said Russia’s foreign ministry last year designated frontman Bortnik a “foreign agent” for opposing the war in Ukraine.