Refugee footballer makes triumphant return to Australia



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"I want to thank Australia," said Araibi smiling, thus ending an ordeal that had sentenced him to jail time during his honeymoon and threatened to Extradition to his native Bahrain. "It's my country."

"I do not have citizenship yet, but my country is Australia, I'm going to die in Australia and I'm adoring Australia," he said.

A crowd of sympathizers dressed in #SAVEHAKEEM t-shirts cheered and sang the anthem of football "You'll never walk alone" while they were greeting the 25-year-old defender at Melbourne Airport , after a night flight to freedom aboard Thai Airways flight 465.

Araibi was arrested at an airport in Bangkok on November 27 at the request of the Bahraini authorities who charge him with offenses related to the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

His detention sparked a worldwide outcry and prolonged diplomatic conflict between Bahrain, Thailand and Australia, which raised questions about Interpol's neutrality and the writ of protections afforded to refugees from Canberra.

Araibi had expressed his fear of being tortured and killed when he returned to Bahrain and his supporters allege that the prosecution against him was motivated by political considerations.

Former Australian football captain Craig Foster, who led a campaign in the sports community for Araibi's freedom, expressed his "deep gratitude" for his release.

But he also launched a campaign against politicians who dominate the governing bodies of sport and who "played a role in achieving this goal".

"We will not stop before holding people accountable for what happened," he said. "We want to see an investigation at Interpol and the use of red notices."

Araibi has strongly criticized the president of the Asian Football Confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, a member of the ruling family of Bahrain.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison hailed the release of Araibi, saying the prayers of many Australians had been answered.

"We know that all Australians will deeply appreciate this decision, which will allow him to find his wife, family and friends."

Morrison thanked the Thai authorities, who had previously left his written requests for the return of Araibi unanswered, but abruptly ended the extradition proceedings on Monday at the request of Bahrain.

The case had also become a famous cause in the world of football, stars like Didier Drogba demanding the release of Araibi and FIFA urging the Thai football authorities to intervene.

The international governing body of soccer thanked Thailand Monday in a statement for "having acted appropriately" and said that she hoped the athlete "could resume his football career soon".

"Cruel and inhuman"

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said the case had uncovered the plight of other people imprisoned in the country.

"Two moments drew the world's attention this month: the picture of footballer Hakeem al-Araibi chained and barefoot, and the moment when Hakeem broke the chains and found his beloved wife, his friends and the Melbourne football community. "

Thailand's treatment of refugees has been closely scrutinized by the international community in recent weeks.

In January, an 18-year-old Saudi woman who ran away from her "abusive" family arrived at a Bangkok airport and, armed with a smartphone and a captive audience on Twitter, managed to thwart the Thai authorities and take refuge in Canada as a result of his asylum requests.

Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-O-Cha, dismissed issues relating to Araibi's detention, saying that "everything went off in order, so stop criticizing – many agencies were involved in the resolution of this case ".

The cancellation by Bahrain of Araibi's extradition request is surprising.

Last week again, the Gulf State issued a statement in which it defended its decision to prosecute the footballer after his escape pending trial. He was sentenced in absentia in 2014 for damaging a police station.

A statement from the Bahrain Foreign Ministry said Monday that he "took note of the stop of the lawsuits" without, however, confirming that his request for extradition had been withdrawn.

"The verdict of guilty against Mr. Al Araibi remains in place (Bahrain) reaffirms his right to take all necessary legal action against (Araibi)," the statement said.

The overthrow comes a day after Thailand's Foreign Minister met with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in Manama to "discuss … areas of interest," according to the report. official Bahraini news agency.

burs-arb / dm / amu

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