Thai authorities order al-Araibi to appear in court as refugee’s supporters say Fifa and IOC must threaten sanctions

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The extradition hearing for Hakeem al-Araibi has been forwarded to the Thai courts as advocates call for Fifa and the International Olympic Committee to threaten sanctions against Thailand and Bahrain, including suspending their memberships, over the continued detention of al-Araibi.

On Friday Nadthasiri Bergman, al-Araibi’s lawyer, said prosecutors had submitted an official request to the criminal court over Bahrain’s request to extradite al-Araibi.

The court ordered al-Araibi, who is in the Bangkok Remand Prison, to appear before it at 8.30am on Monday to answer whether or not he is willing to be extradited, Bergman said.

The extradition case proceeded after the Thai attorney general’s office considered the Bahraini request submitted earlier this week.

At rallies in several cities on Friday, human rights defenders said the Australian government needed to do more to help the Bahraini refugee and Australian resident, because soft diplomacy had not worked.

On Friday joint rallies were held in Melbourne and Sydney, with further events planned for London, Berlin and Toronto, calling for urgent action to secure al-Araibi’s release.

Olympic gold medallists including the Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe and the wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley have added their voices to the campaign.

Ian Thorpe (@IanThorpe) Sportsmen & women make huge sacrifices for their sport but Hakeem is facing the ultimate sacrifice - his freedom. As an Australian & an Olympian, we must stand up and defend his human rights. We ask that Thailand release Hakeem & allow him to return to Australia. #SaveHakeem

Kurt Fearnley (@kurtfearnley) We’ve gotta bring this fella home. We gave shelter and can’t back away from it. We’re with you @Craig_Foster! #SaveHakeem https://t.co/DyQQIGEWxU

The 25-year-old has been in detention in Bangkok for 66 days after he was arrested on an Interpol red notice, issued to Bahrain against refugee protection policies.

“We want to see both Thailand and Bahrain threatened with suspension from not just football but the IOC,” the former Australian football captain Craig Foster said at the Sydney rally.

“These are the two biggest sporting organisations on the planet. Membership of those organisations, and of the sports that we love and have a duty to protect, comes with obligations.

“It’s simply not acceptable to incarcerate and torture athletes and then expect to remain a member of Fifa and the IOC. It cannot possibly be acceptable to try to run a case to refoule a refugee on political motivations and expect to remain a member of Fifa and the IOC.”

Nikki Dryden, who twice represented Canada as a swimmer at the Olympics, and is now a human rights and immigration lawyer, said the IOC had to do “much more than they have so far”.

Wife of detained Bahraini footballer begs world leaders for help Read more

“The IOC must be faster in securing the release of Hakeem, and must take on the higher value of human rights over money.”

Asked if sponsors, audiences and teams should consider boycotts if Fifa and the IOC did not impose sanctions, Foster said “definitely”.

“If Hakeem is not released in the very immediate term, or we see a very significant development from Fifa’s intervention, then we need to look at the next stage, and that is around the sponsors,” he said.

Foster, who met Fifa executives in Switzerland this week, said he was given an undertaking Fifa would directly lobby Bahrain, which was a “significant step forward”.

He said Fifa did not support sanctions because they questioned their effectiveness and legality.

Craig Foster (@Craig_Foster) Pressure on both Bahrain and Thailand escalates as @fatma_samoura reiterates strong support for #SaveHakeem and escalation to emergency status of Hakeem al-Araibi’s case. All stakeholders increasing pressure exponentially, we remain cautiously hopeful of a positive outcome. pic.twitter.com/4sVpln6Gsy

Speaking after the rally, Foster told the Guardian his delegation made it clear to Fifa that they felt the organisation had focused lobbying efforts anywhere but Bahrain because of political considerations.

“They are under no misunderstanding that we understand the politics and we won’t stand for the politics.”

The vice-president of Fifa is Sheikh Salman al-Khalifa, a Bahraini royal who is also president of the AFC, and who was publicly criticised by al-Araibi in 2016.

Bahrain officially lodged its extradition forms to Thailand this week.

Thai prosecutors were assessing Bahrain’s request against Thai extradition law before forwarding it to the court for consideration, the Bangkok Post reported on Friday. The Thai attorney general also has the power to free al-Araibi under international law.

Elaine Pearson, the Australian director of Human Rights Watch, said the case would have “global ramifications” if al-Araibi was returned to Bahrain.

“It means anyone who come from an authoritarian government will have to think twice before they speak out in Australia or any other country where they think they felt safe because they’ll be at risk of being possibly sent back,” she said.

“Bahrain is trying to send a very strong message that you may think that you’re free … but we will track you down, we will hunt you and we will bring you back.”

Foster said he would have liked to see the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, intervene earlier than last week’s letter to the Thai prime minister.

“We asked for him to escalate the issue… he did what we asked,” he said. “It should have happened much earlier. It was clear that soft diplomacy was not working. The Australian government should have been much harder much earlier, nevertheless at least we’ve had that step.”