By Paul Nicholson in Abu Dhabi
January 29 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has added its voice to the calls for the release of semi-professional football Hakeem Al Araibi and his repatriation to Australia where he has refugee status.
AFC Senior Vice President, Praful Patel, has written to His Excellency Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, asking for immediatie intervention in the case.
Patel handles all issues for the AFC’s West Zone where there could be deemed a conflict of interest between nations and individuals.
The letter says: “As stated publicly on numerous occasions, the AFC has been in constant contact with FIFA and other stakeholders. Through the AFC Administration, there has been a constructive dialogue with many of the relevant bodies in this case, including the Football Association of Thailand.
“Therefore, on behalf of the AFC, I hereby respectfully request Your Excellency to take the necessary steps to ensure that Mr Al Araibi is returned safely to Australia, where he has been granted Refugee Status, at the earliest possible opportunity.
“The AFC joins FIFA and other stakeholders in the belief that his release will respect Thailand’s obligations under international law and demonstrate the basic human and humanitarian values, which are held dearly by your country.
“To help bring about a speedy resolution to this case, the AFC puts its Administration at your disposal to aid the Thai Government in any way possible and the AFC thanks Your Excellency and your Government for considering the AFC’s appeal for the release of Mr Al Araibi as quickly as possible.”
Al Araibi fled Bahrain in 2011 aged 18 claiming he was tortured following protests in the country against the government. He was convicted in his absence of terrorist offences, one of which he could not have committed as he was playing football out gthe country at the time. He was eventually granted refugee status in Australia in 2019.
In December he, somewhat foolishly and it is not known on which nationality passport he was travelling, on holiday to Thailand where he was arrested under an Interpol Red Notice – Thai authorities had been notified of his travel by Australian police. Bahrain then requested his extradition.
Since then pressure groups have been campaigning for his release and FIFA, who have never before become involved in a civil case of this nature (Al Araibi was not travelling on football business or was part of a team), took up his cause. Now the AFC have issued their statement and request to the Thai government.
Today FIFA issued a third communique follow a meeting between FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and former Australian international Craig Foster and Brendan Schwab from the World Players Association, who had requested an urgent meeting to discuss al Araibi.
“We strongly urge the authorities in Thailand and Bahrain to do the right thing and ensure Mr Al-Araibi can go back safely to Australia as a matter of urgency”, said Samoura in the statement.
The timing of FIFA’s new found enthusiasm for civil human rights issues cases is interesting with the politics heating up over elections around the AFC presidential campaign and the warnings of government involvement in the election process that have been issued.
Questions to AFC insiders and Arab media over whether AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, a Bahraini, could intervene in the Al Araibi case, have been met with the simple response “How?”. Shaikh Salman, while a member of the Bahraini royal family, is neither involved in the government of the country or the country’s judiciary.
The Thai ambassador to Australia Nantana Sivakua yesterday issued the clearest indication yet from Thailand that Al Araibi’s case will be heard fairly saying that it is up to his lawyers to present as much evidence in his favour as possible to ensure his release. She urged the pressure groups to remain patient and that he was in “good hands”.
See Comment: Al Araibi and FIFA’s new found politically moral compass
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