Seven members of Bi-2, some of whom are dual citizens of Israel and Australia, were detained by Thai immigration authorities on Wednesday following the Phuket concert.

Bi-2 said its members were being held in Bangkok after the event's organizers allegedly failed to properly fill out paperwork.

On Friday, a Phuket court fined the band members $84 each and ordered their deportation.

Bi-2 said their deportation from the Southeast Asian country was still being worked out, denying reports from Israeli media that four band members would be sent to Israel instead of Russia.

The band said they had been due to be deported to Israel before “high-ranking diplomats from the Russian Embassy” intervened and the Thai authorities “canceled” that decision on Tuesday.

Initially, the musicians said the Israeli Foreign Ministry and diplomats in Thailand were involved in “resolving the situation.”

Reacting to the news that the Thai authorities are considering deporting the members of the Bi-2 music band to Russia following their detention in Thailand, reportedly under alleged pressure from Russian diplomats, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said:

“It is imperative that the Thai authorities adhere to the principles of non-refoulement, ensuring that the musicians from Bi-2 rock-band are not forcibly returned to Russia where they are at serious risk of persecution for their anti-war position.”

“The Bi-2 members, known for their outspoken stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have previously been subjected to a state-backed smear campaign. Their concerts were cancelled and one of the band members was designated by the Russian authorities as a ‘foreign agent.’ If deported to Russia, they face a real risk of arbitrary detention under administrative proceedings and unfounded criminal prosecution, which could lead to lengthy imprisonment. The Thai authorities must uphold their international obligations and allow the departure of the Bi-2 band members to a safe country.”

Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher on Thailand for Human Rights Watch, said the band members would "likely face harsh prosecution and other grave dangers" if they were sent back to Russia due to their dissident status.
"This case is a litmus test of Thailand's compliance with fundamental human rights principles," he said.
Other officials who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media told Reuters that the band members could seek an alternative destination if they felt unsafe to return to Russia.
Band members with dual citizenship have the option of choosing any other country that they belong to as a country of origin, one official said.
Some band members have dual citizenship with Israel and Australia, the two places the band were based before they moved to Russia in 1999. The management of Bi-2, the Israel embassy in Bangkok and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

PHUKET: The seven band members of exiled Russian-Belarusian rock band Bi-2 who were arrested in Phuket for working illegally have been deported to Israel.
The news was confirmed by a post on the band’s Telegram channel just after midnight last night, reports The Phuket News’ Russian-language newspaper Novosti Phuketa.

“All the musicians of the Bi-2 group have safely left Thailand and are heading to Tel Aviv. Details tomorrow,” said the message.

None of the seven arrested were deported to Russia, where government officials openly call the musical group “anti-culture figures” and “sponsors of terrorism”, and the group’s frontman Egor Bortnik has been declared a “foreign agent”.

International human rights agency Human Rights Watch had already urged the Thai government to not deport any of the band members to Russia.

“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,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.