‘We will not send anyone to die’ – really? Then don’t deport refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi to Bahrain, activists tell Thailand
- Leading activist Radha Stirling hopes Thailand will follow up its decision on Rahaf Mohammed by releasing Hakeem al-Araibi
- Bahrain footballer awaits extradition to his country, where he fears torture and persecution
Human rights activists are hoping the Thai government will adhere to its principle of “not sending anyone to die” by releasing Australia-based Bahrain footballer Hakeem al-Araibi, who remains in a Bangkok jail awaiting deportation while a Saudi Arabian asylum seeker is reportedly a step closer to freedom.
On Tuesday, 18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun was said to have left Bangkok Airport under the protection of staff from UN refugee agency UNHCR. She fled Saudi Arabia but was prevented from reaching her intended destination, Australia, during a stopover in Bangkok.
She feared being deported back to the Middle East, where she said her family were ready to kill her because she left Islam. But media reports say she is now safe from being forced to return.
Thailand’s chief of immigration police Surachate Hakparn was quoted by the BBC as saying the country would “take care of her as best we can”, adding: “She is now under the sovereignty of Thailand; no one and no embassy can force her to go anywhere. Thailand is a land of smiles. We will not send anyone to die.”
“Great news that Thailand has allowed the UN to assess Rahaf rather than sending her back to the country from which she was seeking asylum. Thailand needs to allow Hakeem to return to Australia and stop Bahrain’s legal abuse,” tweeted Radha Stirling, the founder of Detained in Dubai – an organisation committed to helping people they consider unfairly treated by the justice systems in the Middle East.