There is a dark side to sports in Bahrain. The kingdom uses wealth and sports to whitewash its legacy of abuses, and silences those who try to draw attention to this pattern.

The activist Najah Ahmed Yousif was tortured, sexually abused and imprisoned in 2017 for daring to criticize the Bahrain Grand Prix auto race, and the journalist Ahmed Ismail Hassan was shot and killed while attempting to cover protests surrounding the race in 2012. Salah Abbas Habib Musa , a protest leader, was shot by the police during the weekend of the race, and nobody was held accountable for his death. Next month Formula One racing is scheduled in Bahrain; if the Formula One management fails to secure the release of Ms.Yousif, it should cancel the race.

In Bahrain there are consequences for speaking up, but I am willing to take a personal risk and stand up for human rights no matter what, as are many brave Bahrainis. Don’t be mistaken, as I was when I went on my honeymoon to Thailand: I may be free now, but I and many other peaceful critics remain a target for Bahrain. Relatives of my friend Sayed Ahmed are imprisoned in Bahrain for his speaking out against the regime from his home in London. This week, Bahrain’s court upheld its three-year sentence in what the United Nations considers an unlawful act of reprisal through family connections.

Bahrain has been emboldened thanks to President Trump, who has made it clear to Bahrain that “there won’t be strain with this administration.” The United States was in a powerful position to help end my ordeal, but instead it chose to stay silent.

Indeed, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo traveled to Bahrain and praised the strategic partnership between the two countries, but made no mention of my case. Not only did he not mention my situation while I was still detained in Thailand, he failed to raise the issue of human rights at all. The United States had the means to use its leverage, since Bahrain is a close ally and host of the Fifth Fleet, but it failed to take a stance. Britain, similarly and shamefully, avoided offering support for my situation.

If Bahrain has learned anything from seeking to extradite me, it is that the government can arrest, torture and repress its people and countries like the United States and Britain will continue to look the other way. My case underscores Bahrain’s enormous power to flout international standards, like lodging an illegitimate “red notice” with Interpol to stop a refugee while he travels.

It also shows Bahrain that the United States and Britain consider their own interests more important than the lives of individual Bahrainis. These countries are abandoning human rights at a time when things are worsening in Bahrain and will only continue to deteriorate.

I am so fortunate to have been able to return to Australia and continue my life, but many other Bahrainis are not as lucky. If they received the same level of international support I did, they might be enjoying the same freedom I am now.

Hakeem al-Araibi, a former member of Bahrain’s national soccer team, plays for Pascoe Vale Football Club in Melbourne.

Want more Australia coverage and discussion? Sign up for the weekly Australia Letter, start your day with your local Morning Briefing and join us in our Facebook group.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.