Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – Munir's murder, the religiously motivated attacks on Ahmadiyah followers and forced church closures are some of issues local activist groups plan to raise at the upcoming session of the United Nation's Commission on Human Rights.

A group of 15 NGOs are to attend the 62nd regular session of the 53-nation body in Geneva from March 13 through April 21, the groups' representatives said Thursday.

Coordinator Rafendi Djamin, who will lead the Indonesian delegation, said members would brief the commission about the declining respect for human rights in the country.

"Aside from Aceh Peace agreement, which has been widely praised by the international community, the human rights situation here is not improving. To a certain extent, it's worsening," Rafendi said. "We need to draw the world's attention to this."

Rafendi said the coalition would tell the world that the government had ignored serious religious discrimination in the country during the past year.

Attacks on Ahmadiyah congregations across the country and the closures of many churches in Java proved the government was failing to protect its citizens' basic rights, he said.

"Although the commission's resolutions are not legally binding, it's politically and morally important for the government to abide by them," he said.

Elsam human rights group director Ifdal Kasim said the coalition would also raise the unresolved issues surrounding the murder of rights champion Munir.

"The government has not taken any initiatives to uncover the mystery behind Munir's death. It shows that it lacks commitment to settling this issue," Ifdal said.

Munir's widow, Suciwati, would also attend the session and would brief the commission on the trial, he said.

Suciwati also attended last year's session, where she testified about the alleged conspiracy to kill her husband. The commission promised to monitor and pressure the government to investigate the case and bring its masterminds to justice.

Munir was poisoned to death on a flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam in September 2004. An autopsy by Dutch authorities found excessive amounts of arsenic in his body.

A pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was found guilty of the murder by a court last year but evidence emerged in his trial that National Intelligence Agency operatives may also have been involved.

Another delegate, Poengky Indarto of Imparsial, said the coalition would also raise issues relating to women's rights, child protection and the economy, along with social and cultural rights.

"We will urge the commission to press the government to improve the country's human rights record," she said.