Manus Is on Iran-Indon human rights agenda

Australia's treatment of asylum seekers, including Iranian Reza Berati, could be on the agenda of future talks between Iran and Indonesia.

A protester carries a sign saying "close Manus now'.

Iran and Indonesia are set to discuss Australia's treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island. (AAP)

Iran and Indonesia are preparing to discuss Australia's treatment of asylum seekers, following the death of an Iranian man on Manus Island.

Reza Berati, 23, died on February 17 when riots erupted at Australia's offshore detention centre.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, visiting Jakarta on Thursday, said Australian policy would be the topic of future talks.

"The lives of our nationals are important to us and we did in fact issue a statement against the way Iranian nationals were treated by Australia," he told reporters.

"This is an issue we will be discussing." he said.

"We agreed to have a working group, on consular affairs.

"We will be discussing together this issue in addition to other issues of a humanitarian character arising out of these talks."

Dr Zarif was speaking at a media conference alongside Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who did not respond to questions about the talks.

The leaders' talks on Thursday touched on investment, combating terrorism and regional stability.

Diplomatic ties between Australia and Indonesia, meanwhile, have still not normalised after last year's revelations of spying.

It has been nearly 100 days since the two nations agreed to work on a new code of ethics but little progress has been made since.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Manus Is on Iran-Indon human rights agenda | SBS News