Detention of Bahraini/Australian resident and pro footballer in Thailand highlights Gulf state Interpol abuse and international cooperation issues. Australia needs to pressure Interpol to withdraw the politically motivated red notice, Thailand to decline extradition and Bahrain to withdraw their extradition request. FIFA has also been a strong financial supporter of Interpol and should use their own channels to pressure for the removal of the red notice against their fellow sportsman.
Radha Stirling, an expert witness in extradition proceedings to the Middle East, Interpol Abuse, Human Rights expert and Detained in Dubai’s CEO, released the following statement on the detention and potential extradition of pro footballer Hakeem Ali Mohamed Ali AlAraib:
‘If it were not for Interpol’s irresponsible acceptance of Red Notices from Gulf States, Hakeem AlAraib would not be in the position he is now, fighting extradition from Thailand to Bahrain. Interpol makes no attempt to review Red Notices for their merit and accepts submissions from nations who have been consistently proven to abuse the system; including reports for political reasons, dissidents/journalists and even credit card debt. Interpol generally makes no attempt to contact the reported party to request their input but rather, waits for them to be captured at a border crossing.
Had Hakeem been arrested in Australia upon his departure, I am confident that he would not have been extradited to Bahrain and that we would have simply applied for the cancellation of his Red Notice. It would be advised that he didn’t travel during this period and it may have a career impact, but he would certainly be safe. It is not automatic though, that all countries will process Interpol’s data and thus, it is not guaranteed that Hakeem’s passport would be alerted upon exit so traveling through border control in one country does not guarantee safety in another. The only way to check whether one is listed on Interpol is to apply directly to their headquarters in Lyon, France.
Hakeem AlAraib was no fugitive. He was a prominent figure and professional footballer in Australia. It would have been no trouble for Interpol to locate Hakeem and request Australian police to notify him of the Red Notice, where it could have been resolved easily. The lack of process here has caused Hakeem to be arrested in a country where his extradition is extremely likely, a country who will not consider the potential for him to suffer human rights violations and torture. Australia installed human rights provisions in its treaty, for instance, with the UAE but it is unlikely Thailand will have afforded the same protection to prisoners.
Bahrain stands to be able to extradite someone who has previously complained that he had been tortured. Now that he has spoken out publicly about his torture, even worse should be expected. In my years of dealing with prisoners detained in the Middle East, especially those who would be considered dissidents, I can confidently say that Hakeem is at serious risk of being the next Jamal Khashoggi. What is sure is that if he is extradited, he will face grave human rights violations and potentially torture and death. Bahrain has been criticised for human rights violations, lengthy and unfair detentions, unfair trials and torture.
It is important to note that Interpol is responsible for this arrest. Interpol failed to notify Australian authorities of Bahrain’s request and have not considered the human damage caused by a process that fails to consider human rights. Interpol allows countries like Bahrain to list notices in a country of their choice, for example Thailand where extradition may seem more likely than a country like Australia, essentially promoting ‘jurisdiction shopping’. Interpol needs to review and terminate the Red Notice immediately, a notice that has clearly been created for political reasons, and Thailand needs to act on the basis that Interpol has rejected the notice and Hashem should never have been arrested.
Australian authorities should consider withdrawing their membership from Interpol’s database or at least suspending their funding of this negligent data sharing agency. Australian ambassadors will need to work with both Bahrain and Thailand to ensure the safety of Hakeem. Having already granted Hakeem asylum in Australia, the authorities have a duty of care towards him, and I have every confidence that with continued public support and pressure, Hakeem will be free soon.
However, his arrest highlights ongoing systematic flaws in the Interpol & Extradition processes that need serious intervention.
