Activists slam Asian Cup ‘gagging’ over torture-risk footballer

Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – Activists for the detained Bahraini footballer who fears torture and even death if he is extradited from Thailand have criticised the “gagging” of talk about the case at the Asian Cup, warning it is harming his cause.

The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network hit out at the near-silence about Hakeem Alaraibi at the tournament in the United Arab Emirates, and said the Asian Football Confederation has a duty to speak up.

The comments came after an AFC moderator blocked a question from AFP about Alaraibi at an Australia team press conference — apparently the only attempt to raise the case publicly at the event, which started on January 5.

Alaraibi, who holds refugee status in Australia, believes he is being targeted by Bahrain over his criticism of AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, a member of the ruling family.

The former youth international was detained in the oil-rich, Sunni-led country in 2012 after the pro-democracy Arab Spring protests, which he attributes in part to his Shiite religious background and his brother’s political activism.

“There is obviously a directive from the highest levels of the AFC that Hakeem’s case is out of bounds and should not be publicly discussed,” Evan Jones, programme coordinator at the rights group, told AFP.

“The AFC are duty-bound to speak up publicly on Hakeem’s behalf. Not only are they failing to speak up, but they are gagging others… These facts point to a clear breach of Hakeem being able to access his human rights.”

When asked about AFC policy for questions on Alaraibi at the Asian Cup, a spokesman told AFP: “The AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 is a football tournament. Questions on football are welcomed and encouraged.”

– #SaveHakeem –

While talk about the Asian player is discouraged at Asian football’s showpiece event, the International Olympic Committee and FIFA have both weighed in on his behalf.

On Saturday, the IOC said its president Thomas Bach had discussed the “worrying situation” with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, while the IOC member in Thailand had been in touch with the Thai government.

Earlier this week, FIFA’s secretary-general wrote to Thailand’s prime minister about the “very worrying situation”, saying Alaraibi is at “serious risk of mistreatment” in Bahrain.

Two days after the press conference incident, which was reported in Australia and shared under #SaveHakeem on social media, the AFC issued its first statement for general release about Alaraibi, who was detained on November 27 after arriving in Bangkok for a holiday with his wife.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2MzNp4B