Congres/symposium

Indonesia Human Rights Update

Datum: woensdag 3 juni 2026 - donderdag 4 juni 2026
Toelichting: 3 June is by invitation only
Locatie: P.J. Veth
Nonnensteeg 1-3
2311 VJ Leiden
Zaal: 1.01

The symposium explores theoretical debates and gaps stemming from Indonesia’s democratic decline and its implications for human rights.

After the fall of the New Order, Indonesia advanced human rights reforms across politics, society, and the economy. Yet, scholars increasingly see this progress reversing, with citizens feeling its effects daily. The symposium aims to examine how the apparent decline in democratic practices in Indonesia is influencing the legitimacy and effectiveness of human rights networks and civil society movements.

It also considers the future of human rights as democratic foundations, interrogating the content of norms, underlying ethics, and the strategies needed to regain their legitimacy and representativeness in social and political contexts. By bringing together Indonesian studies and human rights scholars, the symposium fosters in dialogue linking theory and practice.

Main speakers

Asfinawati (Human rights advocate and Lecturer at Sekolah Tinggi Hukum Jentera)
Atnike Nova Sigiro (Member of the National Commission on Human Rights)
Herlambang Wiratraman (Assistant professor, Constitutional Law Department, Universitas Gajah Mada)
Naysilla Rose Taufiq (Human rights activist, Social Movement Institute)
Sri Lestari Wahyuningroem (Professor of political science, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran)
Ward Berenschot (Professor of comparative political anthropology at the University of Amsterdam and Senior researcher at KITLV)

This initiative is supported by the Leiden University Global Seed Fund (LUGF) 2025, awarded to Santy Kouwagam (VVI) and Irene Hadiprayitno (LIAS) together with Universitas Indonesia.