Refugee footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi still fears for the safety of his loved ones in Bahrain and has urged the Morrison government to help them.
The Bahrain-born Australian made global headlines last year after he was detained by Thai authorities on his honeymoon from Melbourne and threatened with deportation back to the Middle Eastern country.
"My brother, he spoke against the government, and he's been in jail for seven years," Mr Al-Araibi told SBS News on Tuesday, adding that his brother has no release date.
"There are many people in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other countries that don't let people speak against them. Those people need help from Australia."
Mr Al-Araibi said his own story, where many groups rallied for his freedom, was a good example of people power.
"When people are united, like my case in Thailand ... Human rights organisations, FIFA, the Socceroos, they all united together for my release in Thailand and this is a good example for other cases."
Hakeem Al Araibi has walked free from a Thai jail. Source: AAP
"I receive many messages from refugees overseas, they want to come to Australia," he said.
"My advice to people is choose Australia. Australian people love refugees."
His comments to SBS News came before he spoke at the Australian Human Rights Commission's Free and Equal conference in Sydney.
In a sit-down with supporter and former Socceroo Craig Foster, he retold his experience, saying that if he was sent from Thailand to Bahrain, "maybe they would have killed me".
"More than 20 police arrested me on the tarmac [at Bangkok] … my wife started crying. It's our honeymoon, why were we in jail?"
Mr Al-Araibi said he was "still scared" to travel anywhere outside Australia as "what if the Australian Federal Police make another mistake?"
"Now, I want to change my name ... to be safe if I want to travel," he said.
"My wife, she's very scared too".
Questions have been raised about the role of the Australian Federal Police in the arrest after it did not raise Mr Al-Araibi's refugee status early on.
Hakeem Al-Araibi arrives in Melbourne. Source: Getty
Mr Al-Araibi escaped his native Bahrain in 2014 after being charged for vandalising a police station, a charge he strenuously denied and said was politically motivated.
He fled to Australia and was granted refugee status in 2017, but in November 2018 he was arrested at Bangkok airport on an Interpol Red Notice from Bahrain authorities.
Advocates said at the time he would be at high risk of "imprisonment and torture" if sent back to Bahrain due to previously speaking out against authorities.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne and refugee footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi who received his Australian citizenship during a ceremony in Melbourne. Source: AAP/David Crosling
After 76 days behind bars and much international pressure, he was released and returned to Australia.
Mr Al-Araibi went on to become an Australian citizen, a moment which he said was "a wonderful and awesome feeling".
