Australian footballer and refugee Hakeem al-Araibi arrived in Melbourne this morning after being freed from a Thai prison where he had been held for over two months pending an extradition hearing.
The Bahraini refugee, who was greeted with cheers and singing when he walked from the arrivals area at Melbourne airport, was released from a prison in Bangkok on Monday after Bahrain rescinded its request to have him extradited.
“Australia is my country. I don’t have citizenship yet, but my country is Australia … I love Australia, I will die in Australia,” Araibi said after he disembarked from a Thai Airways flight.
Hundreds of supporters clamored to embrace him, TV footage showed, and cheered “Welcome home, Hakeem!”. He wore the colors of Pascoe Vale, the semi-professional team he plays for in Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city.
Araibi, 25, fled Bahrain in 2014 and received refugee status in Australia. Authorities in Bahrain accused Araibi of crimes committed during the Arab Spring protests of 2011, charges which he denied.
“Finally, this nightmare has ended,” Araibi’s wife, who has asked for her name not to be published to protect her safety, said in a statement. “My heart is now full with gratitude. Just so thankful that these tears are falling out of relief and joy.”
Newlywed Araibi went to Thailand for his honeymoon but was arrested upon arrival in Bangkok in November, following an Interpol “red notice” issued at Bahrain’s request and brought to Thailand’s attention by Australian police.
He had been convicted of vandalizing a police station in Bahrain and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia.
Araibi has denied any wrongdoing, saying that he was playing in a televised match at the time the offense was committed, and was granted asylum in Australia in 2017. Bahrain, however, sought his extradition from Thailand.
He was freed after nearly three months of high-drama diplomacy, legal maneuvering by the governments of Australia, Thailand and Bahrain, and a loud public campaign by footballers and human rights activists.
