The football player and Australian-based refugee was detained in Thailand after a request from Bahrain, where he fled

The federal government has called for an Australian-based football player and refugee to be released immediately from detention in Thailand.

Hakeem Al-Araibi had gone to Thailand for a holiday with his wife when he was detained at Bangkok airport in November. He was held on an Interpol warrant issued at the request of Bahrain.

The Australian foreign minister, Marise Payne, says she has raised the matter with her Thai counterpart, Don Pramudwinai, requesting that Al-Araibi be allowed to fly back to Melbourne as soon as possible.

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Returning Al-Araibi to Bahrain, where he fled in fear of his safety, would contravene his rights under international human rights law, Payne said.

“Australia is concerned by the ongoing detention of Mr Hakeem Ali Al-Araibi and calls for his immediate return to Australia,” Payne said.

“Mr Al-Araibi was granted permanent residency by the Australian government in 2017 in recognition of his status as a refugee.

“Australia has made, and will continue to make, high-level diplomatic representations seeking Mr Al-Araibi’s safe return.”

Al-Araibi sent out a message on Friday saying he feared being tortured if he was deported to Bahrain. He fled to Australia in 2014 and was granted refugee status in November 2017.

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His status as a permanent resident allows him to remain in Australia indefinitely and to travel to and from the country, so long as he does not travel to Bahrain.

Al-Araibi has been critical of the Bahraini government, speaking about an incident where he was allegedly tortured by Bahraini authorities in 2012.

Al-Araibi’s Melbourne football club, Pascoe Vale FC, is among numerous organisations lobbying and crowdfunding in support of him.

Human rights groups have also lobbied the international football body, Fifa, to defend Al-Araibi. Fifa’s vice-president is Sheik Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, a member of the Bahraini royal family and the subject of public criticism by Al-Araibi in 2016 for not supporting him and other Bahraini players who were targeted as dissidents.