In 2002, NCHR established its Indonesia programme, aiming to advance human rights in Indonesia. Since then, more than 30 Indonesians have conducted master level studies in human rights in Oslo, or conducted human rights research as part of a visiting scholar programme.
Many of these former alumni are very active in human rights protection and promotion, within civil society, academia and, to a lesser extent, government.
Promoting human rights research and advocacy
The 25th of February, some of these alumni met in Surabaya to found an alumni-network. The intention is that the alumni-network shall meet once a year, where members will present ongoing research, and aim for joint publications. It is also hoped the alumni-network will increase contact between academia and human rights activists.
Earlier on the same day, the Indonesian association of human rights lecturers (SEPAHAM) issued a press release expressing concern that military are increasingly involved in political and domestic affairs. This was covered in some Indonesian media including Gatra (in Indonesian).