Australia and Viva call on Thailand not to hand over a Bahraini player to Manama

Australia and Viva call on Thailand not to hand over a Bahraini player to Manama

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the leaders of Asian football have called on the Thai government to release Hakim Oreibi, while Bangkok prosecutors acknowledged Tuesday that he had received a request for extradition from Bahrain. Al-Oreibi, a Bahraini national, fled his country to Australia in 2014 and was subsequently granted asylum, arrested last November in Bangkok on the basis of a notification. issued by Interpol in response to a request from Bahrain.
The Australian Prime Minister's office confirmed that Morrison had written a letter to his Thai counterpart, Praioth Chan-Ocha, demanding that Urebi be allowed to return to Australia.
"The Prime Minister described his Thai counterpart as a refugee who has a permanent residence and must be released," an informed source told Reuters of the details of the letter.
The AFC also wrote a letter to the Thai Prime Minister in a particularly important gesture, while the union, attacked for its silence, is led by Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa.
Oreibi was a critic of Sheikh Salman, a member of the ruling family in Bahrain and a cousin of the king, when he introduced himself to the presidency of FIFA in 2015.
"I invite you with the utmost respect to take the necessary steps to ensure that Mr. Ureybi returns safely to Australia, where he will obtain refugee status as soon as possible," Patel wrote to the Thai Prime Minister.
Oreibi, a fierce critic of the Bahraini government, was found guilty of destroying a police station in 2014 and sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison, but denies any wrongdoing.
The Thai Foreign Ministry said earlier that the separation of jurisdiction from the jurisdiction of the judiciary, confirmed Tuesday again.
Chathom Akabin, chief executive of the Thai Public Ministry, told Reuters that he had received an extradition request from the Bahrain government.
"We need to see if Bahrain's request is in line with Thailand's 2008 extradition law," he said. "If he agrees with him, we will file an application with the criminal court, which will decide whether Mr. Hakim should be returned to Bahrain."
"The 2008 Extradition Act clearly states that for countries not bound by extradition agreements with Thailand, such as Bahrain, several other factors must be taken into account, including the government's request. to determine if it respects our laws, "he said.
FIFA also issued a statement Tuesday calling on the Thai and Bahraini authorities to ensure the return of Ureybi "safely and urgently to Australia".