TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As many as 93 countries have signed up for United Nation`s human rights board where they will question Indonesia’s human rights enforcements in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

“There are 93 countries that have submitted their review,” said Presidential staff expert Ifdhal Kasim today, April 27. Ifdhal is yet to be notified on the questions that will be asked by the delegations.

He is not sure that each country will have the time to deliver their questions, considering that the Indonesian delegation will only be provided with a 3.5 hours window.

According to Ifdhal, reviewers often ask questions related to the death penalty that still exists in Indonesia. In addition, President Jokowi has considered a death penalty moratorium following pressure from the public. “We can’t deny the death penalty. We will report what we have done with our death penalty system. It can be seen in the criminal code revision,” he said.

Indonesia will also explain the development of past human rights violation incidents, such as the Wamena Wasior case.

“It’s being discussed by the attorney general’s office to determine whether the status will be improved to an investigation or not,” Ifdhal said.

In another occasion, Foreign Ministry’s Human Rights Director Dicky Omar says that UN`s third cycle of human rights board will be an opportunity for Indonesia to respond to UPR’s previous recommendation in 2012.

“We urge the countries to review Indonesia’s human rights cases proportionally. Deliver your recommendations but in a realistic way that can be implemented,” Dicky said.

ISTMAN MP