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Hakeem al-Araibi made headlines around the world after he was jailed in Thailand last year.

He was was accused by the Bahraini government of vandalising a police station during the Arab Spring uprising in 2011. He's always maintained that he was innocent because he was playing in a televised football match at the time.

He fled Bahrain and was granted political asylum in Australia, but he was arrested in Bangkok during his honeymoon and detained for 76 days. Al-Araibi was finally released after diplomatic pressure and a campaign led by the former Australian footballer Craig Foster. In March, Al-Araibi - who plays for the Melbourne team Pascoe Vale FC - was awarded Australian citizenship.

The Bahrain government say his allegations are false. They deny his life would be under threat if he returned to appeal his conviction and pointed to an "independant and transparant legal system in line with international standards ". They say the Kingdom take his allegations of mistreatment 鈥渧ery seriously鈥� and that Hakeem's conviction did not "relate in anyway to political views or the right to expression"

Photo: Hakeem al-Araibi is escorted out of prison (Getty Images)

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