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Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:38 am
by sevengoals
I've been watching this story unfold but I was missing a lot of the background information.
This video helped me understand what's going on.





This is pretty farked up.
What can we do?
Email the FFA?


Is the Australian Government doing anything to help?
Probably bugger all knowing that lot.



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Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:24 am
by blahblah
The FFA have been pushing for his release. FIFA is backing the call but the AFC is remaining silent. Craig Foster has been the public face of a push to have him released.

The whole situation with the Arab Spring the Shia Bahraini footballers (along with many others) being arrested (including doctors who treated any wounded) is a blight on the country. A few of their national side were amongst those thrown in jail.

Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:47 pm
by sevengoals
Hakeem al-Araibi, the refugee footballer from Bahrain who was detained in Thailand while on his honeymoon, has said he is “losing hope” and believes he will be tortured again or even killed if he is deported to Bahrain.

Speaking to the Guardian from Bangkok Remand Prison, a visibly distressed Al-Araibi said he was “terrified ” and that his fear was “getting worse every day”. Al-Araibi was given asylum in Australia in 2017 after fleeing his home country where he was persecuted for his beliefs, tortured in prison and convicted on a trumped-up vandalism charge.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... ail-ordeal



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Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 1:22 am
by sevengoals
Here is a link to an Amnesty International petition for Hakeem,


https://action.amnesty.org.au/act-now/s ... footballer


Please, sign it and inform other people about about it.

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Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 7:53 am
by sevengoals
In a letter to Prayut Chan-o-cha, the prime minister of Thailand, Fifa warns that Araibi is “at serious risk of mistreatment in his home country”. It also stresses that Araibi should not have been arrested in Thailand while on his honeymoon because he was granted political asylum by Australia in 2017 after being tortured in Bahrain.“
Mr Al-Araibi is currently being detained in prison in Thailand awaiting the outcome of extradition proceedings to Bahrain,”

Fifa’s general secretary, Fatma Samoura says in the letter. “This situation should not have arisen, in particular, since Al-Arabi now lives, works and plays as a professional footballer in Australia, where he has been accorded refugee status.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -al-araibi


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Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:46 pm
by blahblah
Just read the same on the BBC. The silence from the AFC is deafening.

Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2019 4:10 am
by sevengoals
The Asian Football Confederation claims its president, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa, is not responsible for matters regarding the Thai detention of Hakeem al-Araibi because he was recused from overseeing the region 18 months ago out of conflict-of-interest concerns.
The AFC did not address the disqualification calls but on Saturday said its senior vice president, Praful Patel, “was asked 18 months ago by the AFC executive committee to handle matters involving the AFC’s West Zone to ensure there were no accusations of a conflict of interest involving [Salman]”.

It said the AFC administration was in contact with Fifa and the football federations of Bahrain, Thailand and Australia, but did not call for Al-Araibi’s release.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... y-afc-says


Beating around the bush if you ask me.

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Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 12:46 am
by blahblah
The AFC have now moved. They arranged for Patel to make the call given Salman's hamstrung on the issue and have subsequently called for his release. Things are much more likely to move now.

Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 8:18 pm
by sevengoals
Good news!
The Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi is set to return to Australia after Thai authorities withdrew an extradition case against him.

The surprise decision on Monday ends more than 70 days of detention and international outcry over Bahrain’s attempts to return the 25-year-old dissident refugee.

The Guardian has been told by Gulf democracy advocates and al-Araibi’s Thai lawyer that the Thai government has pulled the extradition case out of the courts.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... -al-araibi



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Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 6:01 am
by blahblah
Thankfully some sense prevailed. The AFP still have some questions to answer though.

Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 1:08 am
by shinAUFC
From what I understand in Thai culture it is desirable to be impartial to issues that are not their own and are bitterly offended when others medal in their business.

I dont think it helped the case move along is an understatement.

IMO all scrutiny needs to be put on Australian authorities.

Informing interpol an australian citizen / refugee and political fugitive may be of interest while also telling said person its safe to travel should ring alarm bells to all australians.

Sadly I think this will get lost within a couple of news cycles which is such a poor reflection on the media in this country IMO.

Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 6:20 pm
by shinAUFC
It seems this story has gone dead?

IMO the media should be asking serious questions how the aussie officials let this happen.

Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2019 7:36 pm
by sevengoals
And the opposition could be asking questions.

A can of worms Shin.

Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2019 4:56 am
by blahblah
Craig Foster penned a piece the other day, a piece he'd purportedly being holding back until Hakeem was released.

It still doesn't deal with the perception that both a procedural and a communications failure resulted in this incident and that the public need to be informed as to what is occuring to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Re: Hakeem al Araibi: Football's Political Prisoner

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 7:55 pm
by sevengoals
Welcome to the club Hakeem!
On Tuesday, he was among 207 people from 44 countries who took a pledge or affirmation at Federation Square in Melbourne to become an Australian citizen.

Don't we need a central defender or two?
“Now I just want to rest in my house with my family,” Al-Araibi said, reiterating his hope that he would one day play A-League.


https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/ ... low-me-now


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