Red notice against Bahraini refugee and professional football player who lives in Australia only issued on 8 November

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Interpol granted a red notice against refugee Hakeem al-Araibi in contradiction of its own regulations, just weeks before he travelled to Thailand on holidays, where he was arrested.

Al-Araibi, a Bahraini refugee who lives in Australia as a permanent resident, has been in Bangkok detention for two weeks, as Bahrain seeks to have him extradited after he was convicted in absentia to 10 years in prison over the alleged vandalism of a building, which he denies and claims occurred while he was playing in a televised football match.

A professional football player, he and others were arrested and allegedly beaten and tortured over their or their families’ involvement in political protests.

On Tuesday, a Thai court extended Al-Araibi’s detention for another 60 to 90 days so immigration authorities could prepare his extradition to Bahrain.

Joe Freeman (@joefree215) Refugee footballer Hakeem Alaraibi, who was stopped arriving in Thailand and risks being sent back to Bahrain, appeared in a Bangkok court today. His plea: "Please stop them" from extraditing him. "I am Australian not Bahrain." He was granted refugee status in Australia in 2017. pic.twitter.com/aDAEDdNZhJ

A copy of the Interpol red notice against the 25-year-old Bahraini dissident, obtained by Guardian Australia, shows it was issued on 8 November, strongly suggesting Bahrain only recently learned of its opportunity to seek his arrest.

Before the date of the red notice’s issue was known, there was speculation it had been issued prior to Al-Araibi being granted refugee status in Australia in 2017 – three years after he was convicted in absentia by a Bahraini court.

But the November date reveals Interpol went against its own regulations banning the issuing of red notices against refugees on behalf of the country they fled from.

Interpol has been repeatedly contacted for comment.

Al-Araibi’s detention and potential return to Bahrain has sparked outrage from the international and human rights community, which has noted Bahrain’s reputation for crackdowns on opposition, misuse of red notices and disregard for human rights.

Al-Araibi flew with Jetstar on 27 November from Melbourne to Bangkok, where he was arrested on the basis of the red notice. He has remained in detention or on remand in prison ever since.

Airline staff do not have access to Interpol systems and are not advised on red notices or pending arrests planned by international authorities, and a spokeswoman for Jetstar said the airline was “not made aware” of any circumstances around Al-Araibi.

Thai authorities have said they received the red notice alert from Interpol’s Australian-based bureau, which is hosted by the Australian federal police.

Guardian Australia has sent multiple questions to the AFP and the Department of Home Affairs about the responsibility for ensuring Australian-based refugees are not subjected to red notices but has not received any response.

Thai authorities also said Bahrain was aware of Al-Araibi’s travel itinerary before his departure, and had issued a request for his arrest on arrival.

“The Bahraini government knew that he would be arriving in Thailand [on 27 November], so they coordinated with Thailand’s permanent secretary of foreign affairs to detain him, pending documents sent from Bahrain,” Thailand’s top immigration official, Lt Gen Surachet Hakparn, said last week.

On social media Hakparn said any decision about Al-Araibi would be “fair” but maintained court proceedings were necessary.

The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy urged Thai authorities not to approve the extradition.

Australian Bahraini dissident told he will face extradition hearing in Thailand Read more

The director of advocacy at the institute, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, said: “Hakeem was already unfairly persecuted and subjected to torture in Bahrain.

“Sending him back to Bahrain will place him at risk of further torture and will be a breach of international human rights law, as well as Thailand’s own human rights obligations.”

The Australian government has demanded Thailand release Al-Araibi immediately. It is understood Australian officials were instrumental in having the red notice lifted last week but Thailand continued to hold Al-Araibi and process Bahrain’s extradition request.

Guardian Australia has contacted multiple Australian agencies to determine who had responsibility for ensuring there was no red notice issued against Al-Araibi in the first place.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade directed Guardian Australia to the Department of Home Affairs, which had previously directed queries to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The 25-year-old was a member of the Bahraini national football team and played for Pascoe Vale FC in Melbourne since he settled in Australia as a permanent resident refugee.

Football organisations have in recent days offered their support for Al-Araibi and called for his return to Australia.

After lobbying from Human Rights Watch and other supporters of Al-Araibi, Fifa announced its support of the player, and said it had written to Football Federation Australia asking it to speak to the Australian government.

In response to questions, FFA told Guardian Australia it had contacted the Australian government but that Al-Araibi’s circumstances were before Thai authorities and fell outside of FFA’s direct authority.

“FFA supports calls for the Thai authorities to allow Mr Al-Arabi to return to Australia, where he currently enjoys refugee status, at the earliest possibility,” a spokesman said.

Senior FFA figures – the chairman, Chris Nikou, and the chief executive, David Gallop – met with the president of the Asian Football Confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa, the day after Al-Araibi was arrested.

FFA has since told Guardian Australia Al-Araibi’s arrest was not yet public at the time of the meeting and Nikou, who is currently campaigning for a place on the AFC executive committee, and Gallop were unaware of the situation

FFA later released a statement saying it had written to the Thai ambassador requesting Al-Araibi’s release.

Al-Araibi in 2016 publicly criticised Al-Khalifa, a member of the Bahraini royal family, for allegedly failing to help him and other footballers targeted by Bahrain authorities.

The Pascoe Vale FC president, Lou Tona, said it had been “pretty stressful” for Al-Araibi’s teammates.

“We’re trying to keep positive and optimistic that he’s coming back but it’s a bit scary,” he said. “We’ve been working with Football Victoria and the FFA, and the players’ federation of Australia [Professional Footballers Australia]. And also we’re trying to get through to the head of Fifa.

“They’ve got an approach that they feel speaking publicly about this doesn’t always help … I think their approach is they’ve got a lot to lose.”