al-Araibi, Mr H.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:37): This is a story of political football and an uncertain victory pulled from the jaws of fear and tyranny by the enormous power of people, social media and one man with a South Aussie connection. In December last year few had ever heard the name Hakeem al-Araibi. Today he is almost as well known around the globe as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah, not for his footballing prowess but for being at the centre of a high stakes game of political wills between Thailand, Bahrain and Australia, mostly played out on social media.

Hakeem is a Bahraini refugee who was living in Australia when he was detained in Thailand on his way back from his honeymoon after an Interpol red notice was issued by Bahrain. Bahrain wanted him extradited on trumped up charges that he firebombed a police station several years ago, that incident happening at the same time he was playing club football on live television. Hakeem, an international youth player for his country, managed to escape and was eventually granted asylum in Australia where he plays for the Pascoe Vale club in Melbourne.

As we saw in the joyous scenes in the media overnight, he is back home with his new wife after almost 75 days of illegal captivity in Bangkok. It could have turned out differently had it not been for one man who recognised this injustice that could have seen Hakeem facing torture, possibly even a horrific death, had Thailand bowed to pressure. That man is Craig Foster, a highly respected soccer pundit for SBS TV. Foster has a strong Adelaide link. I first met him when he played for triple National Soccer League champions, Adelaide City, in 1994. He was a very classy midfielder and, after a couple of seasons and 50 games, he joined English professional club Portsmouth in 1997 and then Crystal Palace. He played for Australia at youth level and has 29 senior caps for the Socceroos, and one of them as captain.

At the end of his career he turned to broadcasting, where he has shown the same consummate flare. Now he has demonstrated considerable skill as a human rights advocate, starting the movement to free Hakeem while our own national body, the Football Federation of Australia, shamefully took its time to enter the fray and apply pressure on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), whose president, Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, is a member of the ruling Bahraini royal family.

I am perplexed that the AFC, of which Australia is a member, could even endorse this person for a pivotal role, considering his country's record on human rights abuse. Hakeem's crime was that he criticised the royal family's alleged involvement in sports scandals. He was tortured when arrested by the country's security forces but managed to get away and was sentenced to 10 years' gaol in absentia for 'terrorism related offences'. In seeking his extradition, Bahrain insisted Hakeem would come to no harm because of the integrity of its judicial system.

According to Human Rights Watch, here is the sort of integrity people can expect: electric shocks, suspended in painful positions, forced to stand for long periods, sexual abuse and most likely water torture. Human Rights Watch says that a report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, appointed by the kingdom's ruler to investigate human rights abuses, was a whitewash. The country's Ministry of Interior and National Security Agency said it followed a systematic practice of physical and psychological mistreatment of detained dissidents. In other words, torture is okay. The report recorded five deaths in custody related to torture in 2011.

Unlike the freedoms we and Hakeem now enjoy, Bahrain has crushed independent voices and political debate. Opposition political parties and societies are outlawed. The media is controlled and suppressed. Activists and journalists have been jailed and usually subjected to beatings and torture. Hakeem claims he was also subjected to these reprehensible acts. Bahrain is an archipelago of islands next to Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup, itself a nation accused of human rights violations. I would urge Australians planning to attend to give Bahrain a wide berth.

I will close again by pressing the assiduous work of Mr Foster. From his one tweet came a tsunami of support, from ordinary people and fans to professional clubs and players from around the world. The Australian government, through foreign minister, Marise Payne, and Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, became involved, lobbying behind the scenes. Joint Australians of the Year, Adelaide's Dr Richard Harris and Perth's Dr Craig Challen, revered heroes in Thailand for the rescue of a youth soccer team and their coach in a cave last year, added their considerable weight to the hashtag #Hakeem movement. It was no surprise to see Thailand finally buckle.

Time expired.