We use Soccerage to express our feelings and opinion on football related mathers. We’re not here to express our view on any political stuff or anything. I would like to make an exception for the situation of Hakeem Ali al Araibi. The footballer from Bahrain is currently detained in Thailand since November after an Interpol red notice was wrongly issued against him.

As refugee footballer Hakeem Ali al-Araibi’s appeared in a Bangkok court today as part of extradition proceedings, Amnesty International’s Thailand campaigner, Katherine Gerson, said: “The Thai authorities should stop all proceedings relating to this absurd, cruel and cynical extradition request. It is well known that Hakeem survived torture in Bahrain and that his relatives continue to face persecution there. Hakeem and his wife have found sanctuary in Australia; he should not spend another day in detention and should be allowed home, to Melbourne, immediately.”

Hakeem Ali al Araibi

On 1 February, Thai prosecutors submitted a request for al-Araibi’s extradition on behalf of the government of Bahrain. Travelling on an Australian travel document, al-Araibi was detained upon arrival in Bangkok on 27 November last year. He remains in remand in Klong Prem Remand Prison. The football player has don’t nothing wrong so it’s about time the will release him from prison and let him go to Australia to built a new life with his wife. Sending him back to Bahrain will bring Hakeem in serious danger of his life.

Hakeem should be getting his life back soon, which will give him the chance to do what he wants. If he wants to play a football match he should be able to do that, if he wants to visit some USA online casinos he should be able to do that. He has done nothing wrong so he should live his life in freedom without having to fear for his life.