Court to begin footballer extradition hearing Monday

[Nereus]

Not seen any reference on here to this. It has just been on TV that the Thai Court has suspended this case for another two months. This is total BS! The Thais have just been through a similar case with the Arab girl they arrested and had to back down, now this. The Red Alert from Interpol that led to his arrest was withdrawn almost immediately after it was issued. The guy has refugee status in Australia and the Australian PM has reportedly written to diktater asking for him to be released and sent back to Australia.
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Court to begin footballer extradition hearing Monday

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... ition-case

The Criminal Court on Monday is set to begin hearing the attorney-general’s request to extradite Bahraini football player Hakeem al-Araibi, who was detained in Bangkok during his honeymoon.

The Criminal Court will decide whether he will be extradited to Bahrain or allowed to fly back to Australia where he has refugee status, according to Suriyan Hongwilai, a spokesperson for the Justice Court, which has also been involved in his case. It could take months to reach a decision.

Araibi was arrested under a request from Bahrain via an Interpol notice that has since been invalidated, Human Rights Watch said in a statement Tuesday. The government should release him and let him return to his wife and football team in Australia, it said.

Araibi plays for Pascoe Vale Football Club in Melbourne and has been critical of the Bahrain government, according to the rights group. The Foreign Ministry said Bahrain had submitted an extradition request.

An international campaign for his release back to Australia has been intensifying. Both Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Araibi’s wife have appealed to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to allow him to return, according to the Associated Press.

Fifa, the global governing body for football, has urged Thai officials to allow Araibi to go back to Australia, a stance also backed by the International Olympic Committee.

International rights groups have regularly criticised Bahrain’s human rights record. The island kingdom, a staunch ally of Saudi Arabia, has intensified its clampdown on political dissent since the 2011 Arab Spring.

[GroveHillWanderer]

What I don't understand is why they continued to detain him after the Interpol Red Notice that formed the basis for his arrest, was cancelled when Interpol realised that it violated their own rules which say such notices can’t be issued against refugees on behalf of the countries they fled.

[Nereus]

Although it is a different tribe of Arabs, I believe this goes back years to the Saudi jewellery theft case. For some strange twisted logic it is influencing the Thais decision. The International press now have hold of it, and they can look forward to some more ridicule.

[Nereus]

Court extends detention of Bahraini refugee footballer to April 22

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... o-april-22

Hakeem al-Araibi, a jailed Bahraini footballer who fled his country and has refugee status in Australia, appeared in Bangkok's Criminal Court on Monday to fight an extradition request from Bahrain.

The court gave the defence team until April 5 to submit documents opposing the extradition, and set April 22 for a preliminary hearing of witnesses and evidence, said defence lawyer Nadthasiri Bergman.

Reporters, activists, and officials and diplomats from at least 13 countries, including Australian ambassador-designate to Thailand Allan McKinnon, waited to greet Mr Araibi, who was led into the courthouse wearing a beige prison uniform.
"Don't send me to Bahrain," said the footballer, who says he faces persecution and torture if he is sent back.

Mr Araibi, who fled Bahrain in 2014 before being granted permanent residence in Australia, where he played for Pascoe Vale, a second-tier soccer club in Melbourne, was arrested while on honeymoon in Bangkok in November on an Interpol notice issued at Bahrain's request.

Interpol later cancelled the notice.

Craig Foster, the former captain of Australia's football team who has been campaigning around the world for Mr Araibi's release, was also at the court to show support for the Bahraini refugee.
"Your wife sent her love, Australia is with you, buddy," Foster shouted to Mr Araibi who waved back to supporters. "Stay strong, Hakeem."

"Thailand has really been used by Bahrain in this situation," Foster said.

"The Thai prime minister should simply step up and say this is a politically motivated charge, that the international reputation of Thailand is being damaged, and that Hakeem Al Araibi should immediately be released."

Australian premier Scott Morrison has called on his Thai counterpart to release the 25-year-old, saying that returning him to Bahrain would infringe on his rights under international human rights law.

"We are asking the Prime Minister to allow Hakeem al-Araibi to return to Australia," Australian ambassador-designate Allan McKinnon reiterated Monday outside the court, adding that representatives of 15 other countries were present to observe the proceedings.

Thailand's judiciary will decide the matter, the deputy foreign minister said.

"Even though he has refugee status from Australia, there is an official extradition request from Bahrain, which has to go through our judicial process," Virasakdi Futrakul told Reuters.
"We do not use political decision in this matter," he added. "The government will not interfere with the judiciary."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and sport officials such as Fatma Samoura, the secretary-general of soccer's world governing body, FIFA, and Praful Patel, vice president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), have also urged Mr Araibi's release.

"We believe if Hakeem is not released there have to be some sanctions levied on Bahrain and Thailand," international players' union FIFPro's vice president Francis Awaritefe, a former Australian football player, told reporters outside the court.

Both countries "should at least be excluded from being able to host" international matches, he added.

FIFA's head of sustainability and diversity, Federico Addiechi -- who was present for the hearing -- told reporters FIFA has had numerous exchanges on the "formal and informal level" with Bahrain, Thailand, Australia and the AFC.
"We want to show our support to him... to ensure the right thing happens and (Hakeem) goes back to Australia as soon as possible," Addiechi said.

Last week, a Thai prosecutor submitted the Bahraini extradition request to the court, saying it showed Mr Araibi had committed criminal wrongdoing and so should be extradited.

Mr Araibi was convicted of vandalising a police station in Bahrain and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia.
He denies wrongdoing, saying he was playing in a televised football match at the time of the alleged vandalism.

Along with the objection papers, the footballer's lawyer Nadthasiri Bergman said they needed to submit evidence "to show the court that Hakeem's extradition to Bahrain will pose danger to his life."
"We are not worried about the law because we have evidence to show that he should not be sent to Bahrain."

Court proceedings on Mr Araibi's extradition "will take months," said Chatchom Akapin, an official of the attorney general's office.

Global criticism of the military government’s handling of Mr al-Araibi’s predicament is intensifying, with Amnesty International on Monday calling for the extradition case to be thrown out.

Wife of jailed Bahraini footballer begs PM for his release

c1_1623346_190204112726_620x413.jpg (46.75 KiB) Viewed 786 times

[Nereus]

Araibi's wife: Please help my husband come home

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... e#cxrecs_s

A campaign to stop Thailand from extraditing to Bahrain a detained soccer player who has refugee status in Australia has gotten a personal touch, with a letter from the jailed man's wife delivered to the Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Nadthasiri Bergman, the lawyer for Hakeem al-Araibi, handed over the letter Wednesday at Government House, imploring Gen Prayut to free her client because of his probable persecution in Bahrain, where he was convicted in absentia of arson of a police station, a charge he denies.

Ms Nadthasiri also tweeted a "message from Hakeem" saying, "It breaks my heart not to know when I will get to see her or hear her voice again. Please fight for me."

The photo in the tweet was taken in late November and shows the last time the detained Araibi saw his wife, on the day he was removed to the remand prison.

Araibi used to play for the Bahraini national team and now plays for a semi-professional soccer club in Australia. He has received strong support from sporting groups there.

The letter from his wife, whose name was withheld for privacy reasons, said she is "anxiously waiting for a glimpse of hope to have my husband return home" to Australia.

Araibi was detained upon his arrival in Bangkok in late November for a honeymoon with his wife. He has been held at the Bangkok Remand Prison for extradition hearings for two months.

"My husband and I had travelled to Thailand because we thought it would be the perfect country to have our honeymoon in," his wife wrote to Gen Prayut.

"We travelled together, excited to arrive in Thailand, only to be met with imprisonment, and the threat for my husband to be sent back to Bahrain where his life will be in danger."

Araibi has said he was blindfolded and had his legs beaten while he was held in Bahrain in 2012.
He said he believed he is targeted for extradition and arrest because of his Shia faith and because his brother was politically active. Bahrain has a Shia majority but is ruled by a Sunni monarchy, and has a reputation for harsh repression since the failed "Arab Spring" uprising in 2011.

"I am frightened for my husband's life and our future. His future lies in your hands," his wife wrote. "Please help my husband come home."

[handdrummer]

Maybe Thailand is trying to attain stupidest judiciary in the world status.

[PeteC]

I think little has to do with what is the correct moral decision, but more of which country is of greater value concerning employment of overseas Thais, tourism, trade, capital injections into Thailand etc. They're going to singe, if not burn, their bridges with one of these countries, at least in the short term.

[Nereus]

The following may also be a big factor:

Asian Football Confederation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Foo ... federation

The current president is Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain.

[StevePIraq]

Where is the UN in this case

[Nereus]

Pass the buck, wasn't us:
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Thailand rebuffs Australia’s plea to free Bahraini refugee footballer

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... footballer

The Australian government on Tuesday urged Thailand to exercise its legal discretion to free a refugee football player who lives and plays in Australia and told a Bangkok court that he refuses to be voluntarily extradited to Bahrain.

The Thai foreign minister, however, said Australia and Bahrain should resolve the issue in discussions between themselves, while the tourism and sports minister said the government would not put pressure on the Criminal Court in making its decision on the fate of the refugee incarcerated in Bangkok since Nov 27, 2018.

Hakeem al-Araibi's rejection of voluntary extradition means a trial will be held to determine whether Thai authorities will send him to Bahrain, where he fears he is at risk of torture, or release him so he can return to Australia.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne reiterated her government's call for the Thai government to release Mr Araibi so he can return home to Australia.

“Thailand's office of the Attorney-General has publicly confirmed that Thailand's Extradition Act allows for executive discretion in such cases. This was also confirmed by the prosecutor in the context of yesterday's hearing,” Ms Payne said in a statement.
She added: “Mr Araibi is a refugee and a permanent resident of Australia and the government remains deeply concerned by his ongoing detention in Thailand.”

Australia continued to advocate on Mr Araibi's behalf at the highest levels in both Thailand and Bahrain, Ms Payne said.

Her plea, however, appeared to have fallen on deaf ears – and raised the question whether Australia was partly responsible for the predicament of the man they had granted refugee status.

Speaking on Tuesday at Government House, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said that well before Mr Araibi arrived in Thailand, Interpol’s Australian bureau had informed Thai police a “red notice” - reportedly since cancelled - had been issued for his arrest and that Thailand had also received a request to detain him from Bahrain.

He said Thai police had merely followed procedure, that Australia and Bahrain should discuss the issue between themselves and that Thailand would be willing to facilitate that discussion. He added that it would be easier to send Mr Araibi to a third country.

"Do not put any pressure on Thailand. We are not a stakeholder in the matter," Mr Don said.

Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said the Criminal Court was handling the case and according to international principle, the government would respect the judgement of the court and would not pressure it.

A chained Araibi yelled to reporters outside court as he was escorted by prison guards into Monday's hearing: “Please speak to Thailand, don't send me to Bahrain. Bahrain won't defend me.”

Former Australia national football team captain Craig Foster, who has been lobbying for Mr Araibi's release, shouted words of encouragement to the jailed player.

“Your wife sends her love, Hakeem. All of Australia is with you. Be strong. Football is with you,” Mr Foster said.
Mr Araibi, 25, a former Bahraini national team player, has said he fled his home country due to political repression. He has been living in Melbourne, where he plays for a semi-professional football team.

Bahrain wants him returned to serve a 10-year prison sentence he received in absentia in 2014 for an arson attack that damaged a police station, which he denies.

Mr Araibi's supporters have said he should be freed and is protected under his status as a refugee with Australian residency. He was detained upon his arrival in Bangkok in November while on a holiday at the request of Bahrain relayed through Interpol -- reportedly from the international police body's Australian office.

Mr Araibi has said he was blindfolded and had his legs beaten while he was held in Bahrain previously. He said he believed he was targeted for arrest because of his Shiite faith and because his brother was politically active in Bahrain. Bahrain has a Shiite majority but is ruled by a Sunni monarchy.

The Bahraini government insists that he should be treated as a simple fugitive and will have an opportunity to appeal his conviction in the country's courts.

“The Thai government should see that Bahrain's sole motive is to further punish Hakeem for the peaceful political opinions he expressed,” Amnesty International Thailand campaigner Katherine Gerson said in a statement. “He is at grave risk of unjust imprisonment, torture and other ill-treatment if he is returned to Bahrain.”

The Bangkok court set an April 22 date for the next hearing. Thai officials previously said a trial could be lengthy, depending on how many witnesses are called by each side.

A court filing last week from Thai prosecutors noted that while Thailand and Bahrain do not have an extradition treaty, extradition is still possible by law if Bahrain makes an official request -- which it did -- and if the crime is punishable by more than a year's imprisonment and is not politically motivated or a military violation.

Federico Addiechi, a representative of Fifa, football's world governing body, also attended Monday's hearing and said the organisation will continue to support Mr Araibi.

“Fifa is committed to protecting human rights. It is a commitment enshrined in our human rights policy,” he said.

He said Fifa has not discussed imposing sanctions on either Bahrain or Thailand over the case.

Nadthasiri Bergman, Mr Araibi's lawyer, said the court has given her 60 days to submit the defence's case.
She said she requested his release on bail but it was denied because the court deemed him a flight risk.

[Nereus]

Corrections chief: refugee's ankle cuffs were necessary

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... recent_box

The use of ankle cuffs on Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi was a carefully-weighed decision to prevent any incidents while taking him to court, Narat Svetanan, director-general of the Corrections Department, said on Tuesday.

Section 21 of the Corrections Act authorised warders to use shackles on detainees when they were brought out of a prison.

"Warders considered that the detainee is of interest to society and could impact international relations. Therefore, officials decided to put ankle cuffs on him," Mr Narat said.

He referred to the ankle cuffs on Mr Araibi while he was brought on Monday from the Bangkok Remand Prison to the Criminal Court where public prosecutors sought an order to extradite him to Bahrain. The pictures of Mr Araibi hobbling into the court in shackles caused expressions of shock around the world.

The procedures of the Corrections Department risked facing criticism on human rights grounds, Mr Narat said, but society should understand that officials had to ensure the safe transportation of detainees and prevent an escape which could harm society and cause officials to face disciplinary action, Mr Narat said.

[europtimiste]

Where is the UN in this case

UN has always been a useless shit organisation.

[europtimiste]

Australian passport is the worst in the world. See how they protect their citizens and refugees. Assange also has an Aussi passport.

[StevePIraq]

Where is the UN in this case

UN has always been a useless shit organisation.

Not really, the UN was quick to jump in for the Saudi woman who was detained here, this guy will now spend 7 months in detention before his case is even heard. Then he will probably be prosecuted for overstaying his visa.

[europtimiste]

Where is the UN in this case

UN has always been a useless shit organisation.

Not really, the UN was quick to jump in for the Saudi woman who was detained here, this guy will now spend 7 months in detention before his case is even heard. Then he will probably be prosecuted for overstaying his visa.

In this case, but generally, what are they doing ? Take the case of peacekeepers. They are not armed. They are paid to survey. Hezbollah drilled tunnels at Lebanon border under their nose. UN takes money from taxpayers. Useless diplomats have nice life in NY and Geneva. D. Trump is right.