I can never truly express my gratitude to you all, the Australian people, for bringing me home. There were countless dark moments over the 76 days of my detention, when my future looked nothing but bleak. The prospect of never seeing my wife, family or friends again became too close to reality.

The moment I was reunited with my loved ones, hundreds of supporters made it to the airport to give me a warm welcome that went far beyond my imagination. It is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Play Video 1:38 Hakeem al-Araibi arrives home in Melbourne – video

Just three weeks ago, the world saw me shackled and barefoot. Craig Foster cried out that Australia is with me. I couldn’t believe this until I saw it with my own eyes last week. Hundreds of people greeted me at the airport upon my arrival. Prime minister Scott Morrison, foreign affairs minister Marise Payne, and other high-level politicians met with me. Craig was right; all of Australia was with me. From politicians to the football community and to human rights organisations: Australia rallied around me.

‘Big surprise’: Hakeem al-Araibi feels the love as he returns to football club Read more

When I arrived in Thailand, I thought I would enjoy a wonderful honeymoon with my wife. Instead, we shared a prison cell. While I was certainly not there by my own volition, my wife chose to remain by my side. This ordeal was no ordinary honeymoon, and yet our love for each other only grew.

We were separated after a judge ordered my first 60-day detention. From this point on, I spent my time in a filthy cell alongside 45 others and was not allowed to speak to my wife. I was left to contemplate the unbearable thought that she was experiencing this alone in our home.

My experience in Bangkok was not a pleasant one by any means. I endured many sleepless nights, haunted by the knowledge that I was being shackled – not for a crime I actually committed but because I had angered powerful members of Bahrain’s ruling family.

Play Video 0:39 Refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi arrives at court in Thailand – video

I’m not sure how I ended up in Interpol’s database – a system used by Bahrain and other abusive regimes to hunt their critics – but I have no doubt that my arrest was linked to my criticism of the Asian Football Confederation president, the Fifa vice president and Bahraini royal Sheikh Salman al-Khalifa.

Another royal and son of the king, Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad al-Khalifa, leads a number of sporting initiatives. Sheikh Nasser has been accused of ordering an investigation that led to the imprisonment of more than 150 athletes, coaches and referees following the Arab Spring, including some of my friends. This crackdown has never been formally investigated.

Privileged sport officials willing to sacrifice Hakeem al-Araibi's life should be expunged | Craig Foster Read more

Evidently, it is a myth that sports and politics do not mix. Authoritarian states use sports to raise their profile, like the World Cup, or Formula One races. But when athletes and individuals call attention to this practice they are imprisoned and forcibly silenced.

For example, activist Najah Yusuf was harshly interrogated, threatened, physically abused and sexually assaulted for speaking against the Bahrain Grand Prix two years ago. Formula One has never called for her release.

Another strong voice, jiujitsu champion Mohamed Mirza, a Bahraini from my hometown, is currently serving an unlawful 10 years’ imprisonment handed down to him by the military court. He was subjected to brutal torture and continues to languish in the notorious Jau prison.

Some people consider my release as a great victory. While I’m happy to be home, I cannot help but think that my personal fight is not over. Even now, Bahrain has vowed to “pursue all necessary legal actions” to drag me back to the place I fled. My brother remains imprisoned there, and I don’t believe that I am safe from the Bahraini government.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hakeem al-Araibi (second from right) embraces his teammates on 22 February in Melbourne at Pascoe Vale’s first home match of the season since his release from a Thai prison. Photograph: Jaimi Chisholm/Getty Images

Bahrain will do anything to hunt us down, even acting beyond their jurisdiction. They think they can catch us all, like Jamal Khashoggi or myself, with the support of their allies. When they can’t touch us personally, they go after our families, as they did with my friend Sayed Ahmed whose family members are imprisoned unlawfully. Last September, his mother-in-law, Hajer Mansoor, was assaulted by prison authorities just because her case received international scrutiny from the United Nations and British parliament. She has not been able to see her family since and is being denied access to vital medical care. This week Bahrain’s corrupt court upheld three years’ prison sentence against them, in what the UN calls an “act of reprisal over family connection”.

There is no accountability in Bahrain, so international organisations, including sporting bodies, need to step up. Fifa and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), backed my case and called for my release. A representative from Fifa travelled from Zurich to Bangkok just to attend a hearing. I was thrilled when I learned that Football Federation Australia decided against playing a match in Thailand to send a strong message that they disliked the treatment of one of their own. When I needed them most, fans of the beautiful game rose to the occasion and supported me.

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Fans of Formula One racing need to help Najah. Formula One needs to be told that human rights abuses cannot be tolerated. I urge you to boycott this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix if Najah does not walk free before the Bahrain Grand Prix in March. While I certainly appreciate Fifa and the IOC’s intervention in my case, I believe they need to call for an investigation into the repression of athletes orchestrated by the authorities in 2011.

The fight for my release was something special. It was a fight against power, corruption and injustice. International sporting bodies, governments and individuals must unite to fight for the helpless. Australia showed that it cared about my plight; I now ask you all to show your solidarity for those who are suffering the fate I escaped.