With his feet shackled together as he arrived at court, Hakeem Al-Araibi begged Thai authorities not to send him back to Bahrain.

And for now the footballer will stay in a Thai prison until his next court date on April 22, after he was denied bail.

The 25-year-old has been given 60 days to prepare a defence against the Bahraini attempt to extradite him from Thailand after he faced court to formally lodge his refusal to be extradited. The judge gave his lawyers until April 5 to file their written appeal.

Al-Araibi fled Bahrain in 2014 after he was allegedly tortured.

Before he entered court yesterday, reporters, activists, and officials, including Australian ambassador-designate to Thailand Allan McKinnon waited outside to greet Araibi, who was led into the courthouse wearing a beige prison uniform.

“Don’t send me to Bahrain,” pleaded the footballer, who says he faces persecution and torture if he is sent back to a country where he has been convicted in absentia and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Football analyst and human rights campaigner Craig Foster shouted back to Araibi: “Your wife sent her love, Australia is with you, buddy. Stay strong, Hakeem.”

Araibi had been granted permanent residence in Melbourne, where he played for second-tier soccer club Pascoe Vale, before he was arrested while on honeymoon in Bangkok in November on an Interpol notice issued at Bahrain’s request.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison sent a letter last month urging Thailand to stop the extradition, and soccer governing bodies and human rights activists have urged the country to let him return to Australia.

CRAIG FOSTER’S CRUSADE

Former Socceroos captain Craig Foster is continuing his tireless crusade to help Hakeem Al-Araibi, saying the young footballer’s fate has “become a battle for the soul of all sport”.

Foster is in Thailand to support Al-Araibi as the 25-year-old faced court to say whether or not he is willing to be extradited to his native Bahrain — where he has been convicted in absentia and sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Following yesterday’s court appearance, his lawyers will have 60 days to prepare a case against Bahrain’s extradition request.

Meanwhile, Al-Araibi himself will remain locked up in a Bangkok prison.

The conviction relates to Al-Araibi’s alleged role in vandalising and firebombing a police station. He denies the charges, and says he was taking part in a televised football match at the time of the attack.

Al-Araibi was granted refugee status in Australia after fleeing Bahrain. But when he arrived in Thailand for his honeymoon in November, he was detained.

Interpol had issued an international arrest warrant at Bahrain’s request — even though such warrants are not supposed to be used on refugees.

Foster has led the campaign to help Al-Araibi ever since, drawing support from a number of high profile athletes. Chelsea legend Didier Drogba joined their ranks over the weekend.

Hello @RabiehKrayem this is for you to help raise funds for #SaveHakeem .. you auction and I’ll sign and personalise the retro shirt to whoever the winning bidder is.. hope that’s ok pic.twitter.com/2FAr3yGp2m — Robbie Fowler (@Robbie9Fowler) January 19, 2019

Foster wants the sporting community, including FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, to sanction Bahrain and Thailand, whose prime minister could end Al-Araibi’s ordeal by ordering his return to Australia.

“Nothing is going to stop this process without the most strenuous response from international sport and governments because ultimately, this is not about extradition, it is about control, authority and retribution,” he wrote in The Guardian.

“Membership of the international sporting community carries the basic obligation to respect humanitarian values and to treat participants, of all people, with the utmost care and respect. And when this is breached, membership of both nations should be in immediate endangerment.”

Yesterday Foster said he was feeling “extremely uneasy”, worried and nervous for Al-Araibi ahead of the court appearance.

“Bahrain are telling their citizens that no one is safe, we can get you anywhere in the world. Speak out, and no one is safe. That’s what this is about, it’s terrifying, and the world needs to step up now in the interests of freedom of speech,” he said.

Heading out early this morning. All our love and support to everyone back home, supporters everywhere. We’ll try to get close enough to communicate, if not yell, our support and all yours. Thais purposely rushed through over weekend to restrict access inside court #SaveHakeem — Craig Foster (@Craig_Foster) February 3, 2019

Foster also led a rally in front of the Sydney Opera House on Friday, where scores of people showed their support for Al-Araibi.

“This is a young man who has been tortured by a country you are working with and are contemplating sending him back to,” Foster said.

“Thailand needs to understand, together, along with Indonesia, they are seeking to the host the World Cup in 2034.

“If you want to host the World Cup you must allow the free transit of players and officials through your country.

“Thailand should know that there are repercussions for taking any decision that is contrary to international law.

“This is not just a young player, a young refugee who hasn’t seen his wife for two months. He is a torture survivor. This is just not right.”

Another crowd gathered in Melbourne’s Federation Square, chanting “save Hakeem”, as Professional Footballers Australia chief executive John Didulica implored Thailand to remember Australia’s swift response to save 12 young footballer’s from a flooded cave last year.

“We cheered with you when two of those Australians emerged with your 12 heroes, today we ask for a return of that favour,” Didulica said.

“You cannot have the privileges of the international community if you are not prepared to live by its rules or behave by its standards.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has written to his Thai counterpart, to no avail.

HOW HAKEEM’S NIGHTMARE UNFOLDED

Al-Araibi’s 19th birthday was a terrifying experience — one he thought he would never have to relive.

On his way to a cafe on November 7, 2012 to watch a game between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the promising young footballer was snatched off the street by Bahrain security forces.

They told the teenager he was wanted over the vandalising of a police station four days earlier. His brother Emad Al-Araibi had “confessed” Hakeem had been part of a crowd of 150 protesters who set upon the building with molotov cocktails, prosecutors said.

The next day Al-Araibi told the public prosecutor he was playing in a football match when the attack took place and denied the allegations. But his detention was extended for 45 days, during which he says security forces tried to torture a confession out of him.

“They spent three hours hitting me hard on my legs, while saying: ‘We will break your bones, we will destroy your future, you will never play football again with these legs,’” he said of his alleged torture in custody.

A gifted centre-back, Al-Araibi was also a member of the Bahrain national team and was later allowed to travel to Qatar for a match, from which he fled to Iran.

He made it to Australia in May 2014 and was eventually granted refugee status, which allowed him to travel with documentation and the assurance of protection.

But six years later he is experiencing the same sense of helplessness and confusion.

On November 27 he was grabbed by Thai immigration officers at Bangkok Airport after Bahrain requested an Interpol Red Notice for his arrest, despite refoulement of refugees being against the law enforcement agency’s policy.

He had travelled to Thailand for a belated honeymoon with his wife.

The Thai attorney-general’s office ruled Bahrain had a legitimate “criminal” case. But Sayed Ahmed al-Wadei, from the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), disagreed with Thailand’s decision.

“The court ruling in Bahrain that convicted Hakeem and sentenced him to 10 years in prison is not even worth the paper it was printed on, as it is full of contradictions,” al-Wadei told AAP.

BIRD recently obtained documentation of al-Araibi’s trial, and conviction in absentia to 10 years’ jail, which it says is full of “flaws and contradictions”.

The case was presided over by Sheikh Mohammed bin Ali al-Khalifa, a member of Bahrain’s ruling royal family.

Prominent among the flaws, according to BIRD, was the court disregarding defence arguments that Emad Al-Araibi’s confession was obtained through physical and psychological duress.

The most troubling part of the case, BIRD says, related to the time the police station attack took place, which was key to Hakeem Al-Arabi’s alibi.

His brother said the attack took place at 6.30pm, when Hakeem was playing in a nationally televised game for his club Al-Shabab at the Al-Muharraq Stadium. The game started at 5.30pm and finished at 7.20pm.

Multiple statements were submitted to the court, including from the Bahrain Football Association, the Al-Shabab club and fellow players confirming this. Footage from the game broadcast by Bahrain Sports Channel 1 showing Al-Araibi playing was also submitted.

But the court ruled the mob had gathered earlier and the attack had taken place at 8pm. It said Hakeem al-Araibi had had enough time to leave the stadium and take part in it.

Bahrain has said little publicly about Al-Araibi’s extradition case as a groundswell of international support for his release has gathered in recent weeks from powerful bodies, such as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee.

But the Gulf state’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah al-Khalifa issued a statement last Monday condemning external interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain.

— with AAP

Professional Footballers Australia is fundraising to help with Hakeem Al-Araibi's legal fees. You can donate here.</s>BANGKOK (AFP)- A refugee footballer fighting an extradition request pleaded for his freedom Monday, saying "please don't send me to Bahrain" as he arrived in shackles at a Bangkok court, which extended his detention by another two months.

Hakeem al-Araibi, a Bahraini refugee and Australian resident, fears torture and even death if he is returned to his homeland.

Araibi, who has been held in Thai custody since November following Bahrain's extradition request, arrived in court in chains and pleaded with reporters and football officials to help secure his freedom.

"Please don't send me to Bahrain," he said, as former Australian football captain Craig Foster and other campaigners turned up to offer support to the embattled player.

"Your wife sends her love. Hakeem, Australia is with you, mate," Foster shouted.

Araibi was stopped at a Bangkok airport in November when he arrived in Thailand for a holiday and has been held in detention since then as Thai courts decide whether to send him back to the Gulf State.

The court said Araibi would be given 60 days "to object (to) the extradition request" and would need to present his case in April when the judges reconvene.

In addition to Foster, who has been leading a protest in the football community for Araibi's freedom, 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.

Araibi had played for Bahrain's national youth team before he fled his homeland and was granted asylum in Australia, where he plays for the semi-professional club Pascoe Vale FC.

"We believe if Hakeem is not released there has to be some sanctions levied on Bahrain and Thailand," Australian former football player Francis Awaritefe told reporters outside the court, adding that both countries "should at least be excluded from being able to host" international matches.

Representatives from the Australian embassy, as well as FIFA's Federico Addiechi, also attended the hearing.

Araibi was convicted in absentia on charges of vandalising a police station in Bahrain, but says he was out of the country playing in a match at the time of the alleged offence.

The player has said he believes he is being targeted over his criticism of AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, a member of Bahrain's ruling family.

A Bahrain official said last month Araibi "has all the rights and opportunities to defend himself" in the criminal case against him, and that he may also appeal the guilty verdict.</s>A refugee footballer fighting an extradition request appealed for his freedom Monday, pleading “please don’t send me to Bahrain” as he arrived in shackles at a Bangkok court, which extended his detention by another two months.

Hakeem al-Araibi, a Bahraini refugee and Australian resident, fears torture and even death if he is returned to his homeland.

Araibi was convicted in absentia on charges of vandalising a police station in Bahrain, but says he was out of the country playing in a match at the time of the alleged offence.

The player has said he believes he is being targeted over his criticism of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, a member of Bahrain’s ruling family.

Araibi was stopped at Bahrain’s request at a Bangkok airport in November when he arrived in Thailand for his honeymoon. He has been held in detention since then as Thai courts decide whether to send him back to the Gulf state.

“Please don’t send me to Bahrain,” he pleaded as he arrived at the court where former Australian football captain Craig Foster and other campaigners were on hand to lend support to the embattled player.

The court said Araibi would be given 60 days to object to the extradition request and would need to present his case in April when the judges reconvene.

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.”

Outside the court, Foster, who has been leading a protest in the football community for Araibi’s freedom, said the case was politically motivated and represented “retribution from Bahrain to Hakeem”.

“We continue to call on the Thai prime minister to show some mercy…. Don’t be pushed around by Bahrain and just let him go home,” Foster said.

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

Araibi had played for Bahrain’s national youth team before he fled his homeland and was granted asylum in Australia, where he plays for the semi-professional club Pascoe Vale FC.

“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 at a “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.

The detention of a recognised refugee such as Hakeem sends the message to the world that Thailand is “not safe for refugees,” said Human Rights Watch’s Phil Robertson.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sunday in a statement that Araibi had fled the country while awaiting trial on charges of arson and “possessing incendiary devices. It added that issuing an international warrant for his arrest is “standard practice”.

Araibi violated the terms of his bail the statement said and has “the right to appeal” his conviction.</s>SYDNEY — Australian soccer authorities have canceled a game in Thailand to protest the continued detention in Bangkok of a refugee player who is fighting extradition to Bahrain.

Football Federation Australia announced Wednesday it had scrapped the game against China, a scheduled warmup ahead of next month's qualifiers for the Asian under-23 championships.

Former Australia national team captain Craig Foster and the Australian and international players' unions have been leading a campaign for the release of Hakeem al-Araibi, a refugee who lives and plays for a semi-professional club in Australia and has been held in Thailand since November at the request of Bahrain.

"Australia's national teams are united in their support for Hakeem al-Araibi and we call on the community to continue to campaign for his release," Australia coach Graham Arnold said.

The 25-year-old al-Araibi, a former Bahraini national team player, has said he fled his home country due to political repression and fears he is at risk of being tortured if he returns to Bahrain.

Al-Araibi's supporters have said he should be freed and is protected under his status as a refugee with Australian residency. Foster and the players unions' have called on the International Olympic Committee to consider sporting sanctions against Thailand and Bahrain.

The Australian government has urged Thailand to exercise its legal discretion to free al-Araibi, who told a Bangkok court on Monday that he refuses to be voluntarily extradited to Bahrain.

Al-Araibi will stay in custody until an April 22 trial to determine whether Thai authorities will send him to Bahrain or release him so he can return to Australia.

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

Bahrain wants al-Araibi returned to serve a 10-year prison sentence he received in absentia in 2014 for an alleged arson attack that damaged a police station, which he denies.</s>SYDNEY (AP) - Australian soccer authorities have canceled a game in Thailand to protest the continued detention in Bangkok of a refugee player who is fighting extradition to Bahrain.

Football Federation Australia announced Wednesday it had scrapped the game against China, a scheduled warmup ahead of next month's qualifiers for the Asian under-23 championships.

Former Australia national team captain Craig Foster and the Australian and international players' unions have been leading a campaign for the release of Hakeem al-Araibi, a refugee who lives and plays for a semi-professional club in Australia and has been held in Thailand since November at the request of Bahrain.

"Australia's national teams are united in their support for Hakeem al-Araibi and we call on the community to continue to campaign for his release," Australia coach Graham Arnold said.

The 25-year-old al-Araibi, a former Bahraini national team player, has said he fled his home country due to political repression and fears he is at risk of being tortured if he returns to Bahrain.

Al-Araibi's supporters have said he should be freed and is protected under his status as a refugee with Australian residency. Foster and the players unions' have called on the International Olympic Committee to consider sporting sanctions against Thailand and Bahrain.

The Australian government has urged Thailand to exercise its legal discretion to free al-Araibi, who told a Bangkok court on Monday that he refuses to be voluntarily extradited to Bahrain.

Al-Araibi will stay in custody until an April 22 trial to determine whether Thai authorities will send him to Bahrain or release him so he can return to Australia.

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

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

Former Australian soccer national team member Craig Foster, left, and Vice President of FIFPro Francis Awaritefe wait to meet detained Bahraini soccer player Hakeem al-Araibi as he arrives at the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. Al-Araibi who has refugee status in Australia pleaded outside a Bangkok court on Monday for Thailand to not send him home to Bahrain, which is seeking his extradition to serve a prison sentence for a crime he denies. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)</s>Hakeem al-Araibi, a refugee footballer fighting extradition to Bahrain, will spend at least two more months in jail following a hearing at court in Thailand.

"Don't send me to Bahrain," the 25-year-old pleaded as he appeared barefoot and shackled at the hearing in Bangkok on Monday.

He now faces a further 60 days in jail after a judge refused his request for bail while his legal team prepare a defence.

Despite being granted asylum by Australia, al-Araibi was arrested on his honeymoon by Thai authorities in November following an Interpol red notice which was later revoked.

Ahead of today's hearing, Sky News spoke to al-Araibi at Bangkok's Remand Prison where he is currently sharing a cell with 48 other inmates.

During the strictly controlled 15-minute time slot he repeated his growing fears that he will never see his wife again if he is extradited to Bahrain.

"Maybe they will kill me but 100% I know they will beat me because they beat me when I was 17," he said.

"When they arrested me before, they tortured me, they beat me for nothing and said 'you will never play football again.'"

A player at Melbourne's Pascoe Vale football club before his arrest, he now tries to train in his overcrowded cell but admits, "if I stay here a long time I will never play football again. My body is weak."

A critic of the government and royal family, authorities in Bahrain say he committed an act of vandalism on a police station in 2014, claims he rejects saying he was playing in a televised football match at the time of the alleged crime.

Reporters, campaigners and diplomats from 14 countries, including the UK, lined up to greet the footballer at Bangkok's Ratchadaphisek criminal court on Monday morning.

The case has drawn appeals from Australia's prime minister and soccer's world governing body, FIFA, for Thailand to release al-Araibi and send him back to Australia, on the grounds that he could face torture in Bahrain, which sought the extradition.

The vice president of FIFPro, a union of the FIFA footballers, said outside the court that if Hakeem al-Araibi is not released, his organisation will be pressing for sanctions against the Football Association of Thailand and the Bahraini Football Association.

Thailand's deputy foreign minister has said the matter is for the judiciary to decide.

But Evan Jones, spokesman for the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, told Sky News: "Prime Minister Chan-o-cha has the authority to intervene in Hakeem's case at any point.

"As a refugee, and as someone that has fled Bahrain in fear of his life, it is imperative that he intervenes immediately."

At night he says he is kept awake by thoughts of his wife, petrified that he will never get to see her face again.

"Tell my wife I love her. I am trying to be strong," he told supporters as he left court today.

Authorities in Bahrain deny allegations of torture and say al-Araibi could challenge his conviction if he returns home.

Defence lawyers have until 5 April to submit a written appeal before the next scheduled hearing on 22 April.</s>Refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi has shouted “don’t send me to Bahrain” as he arrived at a Thai court on Monday where he faces an extradition hearing.

He arrived shackled and barefoot with more than a dozen other prisoners.He was flanked by a guard at each arm and several more behind him.

Supporters shouted “Australia is with you” and “your wife sends her love”.

Al-Araibi, the 25-year-old Australian resident and refugee from Bahrain, has spent almost 70 days detained in Thailand while his country of birth seeks his extradition. A high profile and extraordinarily unified international campaign seeks his return to Australia, but Thailand has insisted on sending him through its courts.

The Monday appearance marked the formal beginning of proceedings after Bahrain’s extradition request was formally accepted for consideration on Friday. It was expected al-Araibi would tell the court he did not consent to being returned.

Allan McKinnon, Australia’s ambassador-designate, as well as delegates from other countries and embassies, were expected to appear as a “coalition of support”, according to Craig Foster, the former Australian Socceroo captain spearheading the campaigning to free al-Araibi.

Al-Araibi was arrested on 27 November when he arrived in Bangkok for a honeymoon with his wife.

Thai authorities made the arrest on the basis of an Interpol red notice which was issued against the agency’s own policies, which dictate they can’t be issued against refugees on behalf of the countries they fled.

Within days the red notice was lifted, but Thai authorities instead pointed to an extradition request by Bahrain.

Al-Araibi’s detention was extended by 60 days to allow Bahrain to file its extradition documentation, which was assessed by prosecutors and given to the Thai court on Friday.

Thailand maintains it is following legal processes, and its immigration chief, Surachate Hakparn, continues to refer to arrest warrants, despite the lifting of the red notice.

It has continued to entertain Bahrain’s claim that al-Araibi is wanted over the vandalism incident of 2012, for which he was convicted in absentia to 10 years in jail, despite evidence he was playing in a televised football match either at the same time as the crime or so close to it he would have been unable to get there.

Thailand is not a signatory to the refugee convention and has a history of sending refugees back to their countries of origin. Last month, amid international outcry about Saudi teenager Rahaf al-Qunun, Hakparn pledged the country would no longer return refugees “involuntarily”, but said that did not apply to al-Araibi’s case.

Chatchom Akapin, director-general of the Thai attorney-general’s international affairs department, has said the extradition request is for a criminal act. Extraditions for political prosecutions are against Thai law, according to the Bangkok Post.

The Thai government also referred to its “reciprocal benefits” with Bahrain, according to the report.

In the early days of al-Araibi’s detention, tax arrangements and retail developments between the two nations were reported.

Bahrain, which has an extensively documented history of prisoner mistreatment, including an inquiry commissioned by the King which found a number of deaths in custody as a result, denies al-Araibi faces danger.

In statements from its press office, it has repeatedly said its justice system is fair and transparent, and al-Araibi can appeal his conviction if he returns.

This week it also disputed Australia’s finding that al-Araibi is a refugee, with a wellfounded fear of persecution and in need of protection.

Bahrain labeled his refugee status as “inaccurate information that has circulated to the effect that Mr Al Araibi can be properly be deemed a refugee, or that he is in some way at risk of persecution for his peaceful opinions or beliefs”.

“In reality, he has been duly convicted and sentenced by Bahrain’s independent judiciary on charges involving serious violence and criminality, unrelated to any possible freedom of opinion/expression issues.”

Al-Araibi told the Guardian last month he believed Bahrain was seeking his return as retribution for public comments he made in 2016 criticising Sheikh Salman al-Khalifa over his failure to protect athletes during Bahrain’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011 and 2012.

Sheikh Salman is a member of the royal family and at the time was head of Bahrain’s football association. He is now the president of Fifa, and vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation.

Advocates and supporters of al-Araibi have called on Fifa and the International Olympic Committee to enact immediate sanctions on Bahrain and Thailand to pressure the two governments to allowing al-Araibi to return to Australia.</s>BANGKOK (AP) — The Australian government on Tuesday urged Thailand to exercise its legal discretion to free a refugee soccer player who lives and plays in Australia and told a Bangkok court that he refuses to be voluntarily extradited to Bahrain.

Hakeem al-Araibi's rejection of 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 al-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," Payne said in a statement.

She added: "Mr. al-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 al-Araibi's behalf at the highest levels in both Thailand and Bahrain, Payne said.

A chained al-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 soccer team captain Craig Foster, who has been lobbying for al-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," Foster said.

Al-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 soccer 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.

Al-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.

Al-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, soccer's world governing body, also attended Monday's hearing and said the organization will continue to support al-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, al-Araibi's lawyer, said the court has given her 60 days to submit the defense's case.

She said she requested his release on bail but it was denied because the court deemed him a flight risk.</s>BANGKOK (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged Thailand to stop the extradition to Bahrain of a detained soccer player who has refugee status in Australia, his office said Tuesday.

In a letter to Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Morrison emphasized that Hakeem al-Araibi’s case was an important matter to him personally, as well as to the Australian government and Australian people, his office said. The letter was reported earlier by The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

Al-Araibi, 25, a former Bahraini national team player, says he fled his home country due to political repression. Bahrain wants him returned to serve a 10-year prison sentence he received in absentia in 2014 for vandalizing a police station, which he denies.

Human rights groups, soccer governing bodies and activists have pushed for Thailand to release al-Araibi, who plays for the semi-professional soccer club Pascoe Vale FC in Melbourne. They believe he risks being tortured if he is sent back to Bahrain.

Morrison noted that al-Araibi has a permanent protection visa issued by Australia, that the government only issues such visas after a careful process, and that Australia considers him a refugee.

Al-Araibi was detained upon his arrival in Bangkok in November while on a holiday, and a court ruled in December he could be held for 60 days pending the completion of an extradition request by Bahrain.

Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman Busadee Santipitaks said Tuesday that the official extradition request was received from Bahrain and forwarded to Thai prosecutors.

Thailand’s attorney general’s office received the extradition request Monday and is expected to decide within a week whether to proceed with the extradition case, said Chatchom Akapin, director general of the international affairs department.

Chatchom said Thailand would not extradite al-Araibi “if the sought extradition is political.”

“If it is, then the request must be denied,” he said.

Prime Minister Prayuth said the situation was complicated.

“Thai officials have to follow the law in every aspect. However, Thailand has good relations with Bahrain and FIFA,” he said, referring to soccer’s world governing body. “How can we find a solution? I understand everyone’s concerns.”

Human Rights Watch’s Asia director, Brad Adams, said Thailand would make a “huge mistake” if it extradites al-Araibi because “global opinion and international law are clearly opposed to this rights-violating move.”

The Asian Football Confederation on Tuesday followed FIFA and the International Olympic Committee in asking for al-Araibi’s release.

The AFC, led by Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, a member of Bahrain’s royal family, had faced criticism for not calling for al-Araibi’s freedom.

Al-Araibi has said he suspects he is being sought by Bahrain in part because of critical comments he made about the AFC leader.

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

Bahrain’s interior minister issued a statement Tuesday asserting that the country has a legitimate claim in asking for al-Araibi’s extradition and accusing critics of its justice system of interfering in the country’s internal affairs.

“Those raising unfounded doubts about the integrity and independence of the kingdom’s judicial system are not only interfering, but also attempting to influence the course of justice,” the statement said.

It said al-Araibi was convicted of participating in a “terrorism” case involving “an arson attack, possession of inflammable bombs and causing damage to public and private property.”

This story has been corrected to show that Thai foreign ministry said it gave extradition request to Thai prosecutors, rather than received it, on Monday.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.</s>BANGKOK — A soccer player who has refugee status in Australia pleaded outside a Bangkok court on Monday for Thailand to not send him home to Bahrain, which is seeking his extradition to serve a prison sentence for a crime he denies.

“Please speak to Thailand, don’t send me to Bahrain. Bahrain won’t defend me,” a chained Hakeem al-Araibi shouted to reporters outside court as he was escorted by prison guards into the hearing.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison sent a letter last month urging Thailand to stop the extradition, and soccer governing bodies and human rights activists have urged the country to let him return to Australia where he lives and plays for a semi-professional team in Melbourne.

The court could order another detention while his extradition is processed, or if al-Araibi refuses to return to Bahrain willingly, a trial would be held. Thai officials previously said the length of the trial would depend on how many witnesses are called by each side.

Al-Araibi, 25, a former Bahraini national team player, says he fled his home country due to political repression. 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.

Al-Araibi was detained upon his arrival in Bangkok in November while on a holiday, and subsequently was held pending the completion of the extradition request by Bahrain.

“Your wife sends her love, Hakeem. All of Australia is with you. Be strong. Football is with you,” former Australia national soccer team captain Craig Foster said to Hakeem outside court. Foster has been in Bangkok to push for al-Araibi’s release.

“I think the facts of this case are a very simple one. Hakeem is a refugee. He is a human rights defender and therefore under international law he should not be subject to these proceedings,” Francis Awaritefe, vice-president of FIFPro, an international soccer players’ body, said at the court.

Hakeem 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.

A court filing made last week by 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 they did, and if the crime is punishable by over a year, is not politically motivated or a military violation.
25-year-old Australian footballer and refugee from Bahrain, Hakeem al-Araibi, is ordered to defend an extradition order back to Bahrain in a Bangkok court, after being detained upon arrival in Thailand for his honeymoon with his wife in November 2018. International community is treating it as a human rights issue; a campaign to free al-Araibi and return him to Australia is growing.