The Russian band Bi-2, known for their theme song in the film Brat 2 and recent criticism of the Ukraine war, faced the threat of deportation from Thailand to Russia, potentially to face imprisonment. International outcry ensued, with figures like Bill Browder calling the situation 'outrageous' and urging Western governments to intervene. Amnesty International highlighted Thailand's international obligations to not return the band members to Russia due to the risk of persecution. Ultimately, the Thai authorities allowed the band members to fly to Israel after the Israeli consul reached an agreement with Thai authorities, with involvement from the Kingdom's Security Council. The band's safety was confirmed by various sources, including a tweet expressing gratitude to those who showed concern for the band's well-being.
Thank you everyone who cared - the BI-2 band is on their way to Israel, safe from Putin's thugs. https://t.co/7Q43TdyJg5
Good news. Thai authorities allowed all members of the group to fly to Israel. Russian diplomats had been playing very murky games. https://t.co/gaFJLi1l5x https://t.co/6Ki2DgKiim
The Israeli consul has reached an agreement with Thai authorities to deport all the musicians of the band Bi-2 to Israel, local media reported. Earlier it became known that the Kingdom's Security Council was involved in the case. https://t.co/wXQpt0rJ36
Thai authorities must uphold their international obligations not to return Bi-2 band members to Russia where they are at risk of persecution. https://t.co/ADYH0yj83U
This is totally outrageous. Western governments should put huge pressure on Thailand not to return these innocent musicians to Russia to face prison (or even worse). https://t.co/rAlOqb3aHY
A tale of modern Russia: The band that provided the theme song for the film Brat 2 ("Are y'all gangsters?" "No, we are Russians") is about to be deported from Thailand to a Russian prison after criticizing the Ukraine war https://t.co/AqIWIzfDGd