"It's a victory for humanity" – Craig Foster salutes the successful efforts to save the refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi

Craig Foster called the release of Hakeem Al-Araibi a Thai prison of "victory for humanity", the refugee expected to arrive in Melbourne Tuesday.

The former captain of Socceroos Foster had led the release campaign of Al-Araibi, held in a Bangkok jail since the end of November after Interpol had launched a red sign indicating his arrest. .

The Thai authorities succeeded Monday in asking the court to withdraw the case to extradite Al-Arabi to his home country, Bahrain, who wanted him to serve a 10-year prison sentence for accusations of vandalism, that he denies.

"It's a victory for humanity, for the power of the world's citizen who demands that human rights be protected, a step forward for Thailand, a challenge for the world." Australia and the beginning of a broader fight for the values ​​of sport, "Foster said. via his Facebook account.

"If the people of the world decide tomorrow that this will no longer be the case, that we give more importance to human life than to unjust laws, punishments and royal edicts, which must stop us after all. ? "

"We fought for one soul because Hakeem represented all those who suffered from tyranny and through it we hope to build a better world one person at a time."

Al-Araibi is expected to land Tuesday at Melbourne Airport around 1 pm (AEDT) for a large public reception led by Foster and the refugee football team, Pascoe Vale.

He was arrested by the Thai authorities on November 27 on an Interpol notice that had been circulated against the organization's own policy, which was aimed at preventing refugees from the country they fled from fleeing. .

Bahrain wanted to extradite Al-Araibi and serve a ten-year prison sentence for vandalizing a police station – a crime the refugee says he did not commit while he was playing in a prison. football game televised at the moment the offense occurred.

Al-Araibi claims to have been tortured by the Bahraini authorities to obtain confessions about the crime committed – his brother is still in prison.

He fled Bahrain while he was playing for the national team in Qatar in 2013 before traveling to Australia via Iran, Malaysia and Thailand and applying for asylum there. 2014.

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The 25-year-old has officially been granted Australian refugee status in 2017.