Bambang Widjojanto

Bambang Widjojanto

"Co-founder and former director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, Bambang Widjojanto has been a leading advocate for the rights of the indigenous peoples of West Papua. Directing over 100 lawyers, Bambang has defended victims of torture, labor organizations, and women’s rights. As the government has restricted access to the region of West Papua and increased the amount of military present there, the risk of exploitation and abuse has heightened. This is exacerbated by the tragic environmental degradation, desecration of indigenous lands, and social upheaval occurring as a result of Freeport McMoRan’s massive mining operation. To protect the human rights of West Papuans, Bambang strives for constitutional and judicial reform." 1993

"In 1993, Bambang received the Kennedy Human Rights Award. He was honoured for his work defending the rights of indigenous peoples of Irian Jaya when he served for seven years as director of the Irian Jaya branch of YLBHI. His portfolio of litigation cases includes the Tanjung Priok subversion case, the Kedungombo case, the Alliance of Independent Journalists case, and the Freeport case." 


 * Director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation in 1997 at least
 * Recipient of the 1993 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award
 * Co-founder, Tifa Foundation