Hakeem al-Araibi: Free to return to Australia

Hakeem al-Araibi is free to leave Thailand tonight. A Thai court has ruled that the extradition case against Melbourne-based footballer and refugee, Hakeem al-Araibi, has been dropped.

• Hakeem al-Araibi was detained after flying to Bangkok in November
• Jjailed over allegations he vandalised a police station in Bahrain during the Arab Spring protests in 2011

The Government has confirmed that the Thai Attorney-General requested the case for Hakeem al-Araibi’s extradition to Bahrain be dropped.

The 25 year old was detained in Bangkok late November for alleged vandalism offences in his native Bahrain during the ‘Arab Spring’ protests of 2011.

A Bahraini court sentenced him in absentia to 10 years in prison over claims by Bahraini authorities that he and a group of protesters attacked a police station with petrol bombs.

He denied the allegations and said he was tortured by his captors during his detention before fleeing to Iran when he was allowed to travel to Qatar for a football match.

He eventually made it to Australia, where he was granted refugee status.

Late last month, Australian PM Scott Morrison wrote to his Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha demanding for al-Araibi’s release.