Bahraini footballer Hakim Oreibi obtains Australian citizenship – Photos

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Bahrain-born footballer Hakim Oreibi officially received Australian citizenship on Tuesday, Australian media reported.

"I am now an Australian," Oreibi told reporters after a ceremony in Melbourne. "I am delighted to have citizenship and to be delighted to be safe."

Aged 25, he escaped to Australia in 2014 and was officially recognized as a refugee. Last November, he was arrested in Bangkok on family leave on the basis of a warrant issued by the Bahraini authorities.

He spent 76 days in detention until the Thai authorities abandoned his deportation case after Bahrain informed him that he was no longer wanted.

The Bahraini player had already been sentenced in absentia in 2014 for allegedly sabotaging the 2012 police station, a charge he denied. He stated that he was participating in Bahrain's representation during a match against Qatar at the time. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in this case.

Oreibi said he was tortured in Bahrain in 2012 for criticizing a member of the royal family.

Oreibi said Tuesday that he wanted to return to play at his club, Pasco Valley, based in Melbourne. "I want to focus on the ball for this country," he said.

After the citizenship ceremony, he met Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who led a campaign to release him in Thailand and gave him an Australian lapel pin on the lapel of his jacket.

"I have a little badge that I will give you today, but I will give you mine," Morrison said.

"It's definitely a great day to welcome you to the Australian family."

(Agencies)