2024-02-01 11:42 United News Network 24 Hours Around the Corner Russian rock band Bi-2 was arrested in Thailand. The band was suppressed for opposing the Russia-Ukraine war, and the deportation issue has arisen…
The Russian rock band “Bi-2” was arrested for illegal performances in Phuket, Thailand on January 24. It is said that Thailand is under pressure from Russia and intends to deport the band members back to Russia; Bi-2 expressed its opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 2023 They have chosen to live in exile overseas, and human rights groups worry that they will face persecution if they return to Russia. Bi-2 made their fortune in the 1990s and is composed of members of many nationalities. The lead singer Lyova, who is Israeli, was allowed to return to Israel on the 31st, but the fate of the other lead singer Shura and the rest of the group members is still uncertain. Currently, Israel, the United States, Australia Coordination with the German Embassy has been initiated.
Russian Orchestra “Bi-2” (Би-2) He started his career in Belarus in the 1990s and became very popular in Russia in the 2000s. Many singles and albums have topped the Russian charts. However, after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Bi-2 began to make anti-war statements and was unwilling to perform in venues with slogans supporting the war. Many music venues canceled their concerts as a result. The band later also canceled their concerts in May 2023. In March, he announced that he would not return to Russia.
Bi-2 started a world tour after self-imposed exile. Last week on January 24, he was arrested by the police when he sang at a resort in Phuket. A group of seven people were escorted back to the immigration detention center in the capital Bangkok, where the environment was harsh and crowded.According to Bi-2 published on the social networking site on the 28thstatementthe police said that the concert did not obtain a qualified permit. Although the team believed that it was an administrative error by the organizer, due to the lack of an interpreter, the group did not understand the legal procedures at all, so they chose to pay the fine to the court on the spot, but unexpectedly they were still unable to escape.
Bi-2 stated in a statement that since last year they have held more than 60 concert tours in more than 30 countries around the world, including another performance in Pattaya before Phuket, and they have complied with the requirements of the local organizers throughout the process. Nothing illegal. Bi-2 stated in a statement that the surrounding situation showed that there was “external pressure” that led to their detention. They believed that they were under pressure because of their own views and positions. Fans who left comments also accused the band of being persecuted by Russian officials.
Russian rock band Bi-2 was arrested in Thailand and held in an immigration detention center. The picture shows the guard posted by the band on social media…
Israeli media “Ynet”report, four members of the Bi-2 team have Israeli citizenship, and the other two are American and Australian citizens. However, only the lead singer “Lyova Bi-II” (real name Egor Bortnik) entered Thailand with an Israeli passport, so the Thai authorities have allowed Lyova to return Israel. Lyova took a flight in the early morning of the 31st. The remaining six members of the team were still detained and had to share a cell with 80 people.
The two lead singers of Bi-2, Lyova and “Shura Bi-2” (real name Alexandr Uman), are both Jewish. They immigrated to Israel in the 1990s. Lyova even served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF); the two later moved to Australia. It was only in the 2000s that he went to Russia for development. But neither has yet become a Russian citizen. Bi-2 also revealed that the band was resolutely unwilling to communicate with Russian diplomats in the detention center and only accepted the Israeli embassy to represent itself.
Until the 30th, Bi-2 againannouncement, Thailand had originally decided to send the orchestra back to Israel, but it went back on its word after “a visit by a senior diplomat from the Russian Consulate.” “Ynet” pointed out that Russian diplomats put pressure on Thailand and strongly demanded that all members of Bi-2 be sent back to Russia. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy in Thailand urgently intervened to prevent it, and also joined forces with the embassies of the United States, Australia and Germany to intervene in negotiations. , but the whereabouts of the other six people are currently unclear.
International organization “Human Rights Watch” (HRW)point out, Lyova became active on the Internet after 2022 and actively criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian judicial department therefore labeled Lyova as a “foreign agent” and accused him of opposing the Russia-Ukraine war and “making statements against the Russian government and people.” negative remarks”.When asked about the repatriation incident, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova saidcriticizeBi-2’s support for Ukraine is tantamount to “financing terrorism.” The Thai branch of HRW called on the Thai authorities to “immediately release Bi-2 and let them leave on their own”, emphasizing that the band may “be arrested or suffer something more terrible” because of their anti-war remarks.
The “BBC” reported that hundreds of Russian artists and musicians have been oppressed because of their anti-war stance and have chosen to leave their country.It is worth noting that in the past two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, many Russians have chosenSettled in Thailand, the resort was especially popular with people fleeing conscription, others with exiled dissidents. Nearly 500,000 Russians will arrive in Phuket in the first half of 2023 alone.
Thailand is “United Nations Convention against Torture” (UNCAT), theoretically have an obligation not to return people to places where they may face torture or other persecution.Thailand also in February 2023finally passedThe long-delayed “Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act” (the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act) has not yet been officially implemented. HRW stated that this band incident is also the first time since the Russo-Ukrainian war that Thailand has been involved in a deportation case of Russian nationals, testing the commitment of the new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin who took office in September last year to protect human rights.
Thailand has had more than one controversial repatriation case in recent years. For example, in 2015, Thai authorities arrested hundreds of Uyghur refugees who wanted to go to a third country, and deported more than 100 of them.Forced repatriation to China, and there has been no news since.It is worth noting that there are more than 50 Uyghurs in this groupStill imprisonedIn immigration detention centers, they lived without any rights protection for more than eight years, and some people have died of illness. After the coup in Myanmar in 2021, the Thai authorities alsoarrest and deportSeveral Myanmar journalists and activists fled, triggering international condemnation.
Thailand deported hundreds of Uyghur refugees back to China in 2015, drawing condemnation from the international community. There are also more than 50 Uyghurs…
Text/Wang Yingzhi
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2024-02-01 03:42:55
