Members of the dissident Russian rock band Bi-2 have been detained in a Thai immigration jail after playing a concert on the southern resort island of Phuket, with the Russian consulate there citing that they allegedly did not have proper working papers.
The band declined offers by the Russian consulate to have them released, claiming that they would be deported back to Russia due to their stance against its war on Ukraine and against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a Facebook post, the band said that all of their concerts were "held in accordance with local laws and practices."
Phuket is a popular destination for Russian expatriates and tourists.
On the other hand, the group Human Rights Watch (HRW) detailed on Tuesday (Jan. 30) that the musicians "include [Russian] citizens as well as dual nationals of Russia and other countries, including Israel and Australia."
"The Thai authorities should immediately release the detained members of Bi-2 and allow them to go on their way," HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson said. "Under no circumstances should they be deported to Russia, where they could face arrest or worse for their outspoken criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's war in Ukraine."
Exiled Russian Politician Believes Band's Arrest Came from Kremlin
Meanwhile, self-exiled Russian opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov, a friend of the band, told the Associated Press that he had been in touch with lawyers and diplomats in an attempt to secure their release and suggested that pressure to detain and deport them came directly from the Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"[Russia needed an] evocative story to show that they will catch any critic abroad," he added. "This is all happening in the run-up to (Russia's presidential election), and it's clear that they want to shut everyone up, and that's why there's intense pressure going on."
There have been no public statements from Thai officials on the situation.
Bi-2 has 1.01 million subscribers on its YouTube channel and 376,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
