The Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club is calling on the incoming administration of Joko Widodo to immediately lift all restrictions on foreign journalists travelling to the Papua region.
It says it's concerned by the continued detention without charge of French journalists Valentine Bourrat and Thomas Dandois.
The pair were arrested in August in Wamena, and remain detained in Jayapura by Indonesian police, accused of violating their visas.
The Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club says indications that the pair could face a five-year prison sentence for a visa violation, or even a much more serious charge of sedition, are of particular concern.
It says the larger issue is the continuation of restrictive state policies on journalists reporting in the Papua region and wants all restrictions on foreign journalists travelling to the region lifted.
The club says these restrictions only harm Indonesia's international reputation as a country that values press freedom, and encourages inaccurate and simplistic reporting of the issues in the region.
