TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Amnesty International is urging the Indonesian government to include human rights agenda in resolving issues in Papua issues. The organization’s senior research advisor, Issabel Arradon, said the government must obey the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which has already been ratified by the Indonesian government. “The government must assure that restrictions to freedom of expression and peaceful gatherings do not exceed the standards set in the convention," said Issabel in Jakarta yesterday. Amnesty International yesterday met with Coordinating Minister for Political, Justice and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto to discuss human rights reinforcement in Papua. Amnesty urged the government to immediately release Papuan political prisoners to fulfill the government’s commitment to civil rights. It also urged the government to implement the Special Autonomy Law by establishing a human rights court as well as truth and reconciliation commission. “Amnesty insisted the government guarantee access for journalists and international organization activists to visit and conduct research in Papua,” said Issabel. International Center for Transitional Justice’s senior advisor, Usman Hamid, supported Amnesty’s demands. He said that releasing political prisoners was the right move to show commitment to build dialogue with the Papuan public. “Without the decision to release political inmates, efforts to build dialogue will not be conveyed,” he said. Amnesty International’s data showed that at least 90 political inmates are detained in Papua and Maluku prisons due to their non-violent pro-freedom activities. Filep Karma, a Papuan who was detained due to his opinion of a "prisoner of conscience” is now doing 15 years in Abepura prison in Papua. Usman said that if the government impeded journalist and activists from seeing the condition in Papua first hand, it would lead to more suspicion. The government should facilitate foreign organizations, particularly the UN’s rapporteurs who wanted to monitor the condition in Papua, he said. “With a pro-active attitude, suspicions over human rights violations in Papua will decrease,” he said. IRA GUSLINA | RIRIN AGUSTIA | SUNUDYANTORO