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A refugee footballer detained in Thailand for more than two months claimed to have been tortured in Bahrain.
Hakeem al-Araibi, a Bahraini citizen, was held in Bangkok in November while he was on honeymoon at the request of Bahrain.
The Bahraini government accused him of vandalizing a police station during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.
However, the 25-year-old was released after a public outcry and diplomatic pressure.
"When they took me to the police station, they tortured me for five hours," al-Araibi told reporters in Sydney.
"They beat me very hard on my legs and I could not walk anymore." They said I would never play [football] again.
"Everyday, I cried until I returned to my wife's home in Australia." I was very scared [have to] return to Bahrain. "
Hundreds of fans hailed his return to a Melbourne airport in February. Australian footballer Craig Foster led Araibi's successful release campaign.
His wife told the BBC that she was deeply grateful for the lobbying efforts of the Australian government and public and the international football community.
Al-Araibi, who plays for Melbourne's Pascoe Vale FC, became an Australian citizen earlier this month after pbading a citizenship test.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attended his citizenship ceremony in Melbourne.
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