ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE
ABOUT US
Pusham UII is an institution under the University of Islam Indonesia with semi-autonomous status. The background to the establishment of Pusham UII began with the concerns of its founders—Dr. Artidjo Alkostar, S.H., M.H., Prof. Moh. Mahfud MD., S.H., S.U., Dr. Busyro Muqoddas, S.H., M.Hum., and Prof. Dr. Suparman Marzuki, S.H., M.Si, regarding the protection, respect, and fulfillment of human rights in the post-Reformation era. At least two realities illustrated the actual situation in the Republic of Indonesia at that time. At the very least, there were two realities that reflected the actual situation in the Republic of Indonesia at that time: First, the prevalence of past human rights violations committed by the government, which at that time showed no signs of being resolved through fair and impartial trials. Second, the condition of human rights fulfillment among communities still living below the poverty line, resulting in many people lacking access to education, employment, healthcare, a healthy environment, and various other basic rights. Universitas Islam Indonesia, as an educational institution committed to the four pillars of higher education, felt called upon to bear responsibility in addressing these various issues; thus, a study center dedicated specifically to human rights issues was established. Pusham UII was founded with the vision “To become a leading center for human rights studies through research, education, and advocacy in building and shaping a humane, democratic, and civilized government and society in Indonesia”.
Pusham UII is an independent research institute that prioritizes academic accountability. As an institution within the academic community, Pusham UII has, from the outset, adopted an approach centered on research and publication, education, and policy advocacy. Consequently, the majority of its programs have focused on disseminating human rights values, strengthening democracy and the rule of law toward law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, and civil society, with the aim of mainstreaming human rights in Indonesia.
After 26 years of Pusham UII working to strengthen human rights in Indonesia, the challenges faced by the Indonesian people have become increasingly complex. In recent years, militarism has grown stronger, as evidenced by the placement of military personnel in civilian positions, restrictions on the space for civil society, military involvement in law enforcement, and surveillance of freedom of expression in the digital sphere—all of which have led to the marginalization of the fulfillment of basic rights. Business operations have yet to respect the human rights of local residents, energy transition projects lack equity, and human rights violations continue to occur in Indonesia. On the other hand, law enforcement also faces serious challenges; the enactment of the new Criminal Code (KUHP) and Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) has left many substantive and implementation issues unresolved, ranging from the hesitation of law enforcement agencies to take the initiative to their inability to properly interpret current issues. In the face of this complex situation, the presence of Pusham UII is increasingly relevant to strengthening human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Indonesia.
VISION & MISSION
The vision of PUSHAM UII is to become a leading research center for Human Rights Studies, through education and advocacy to build and shape a humane, democratic, and civilized government and society of Indonesia.
This is realized through:
- Our mission to promote - oriented towards disseminating human rights principles and practical human rights training for the public;
- Our mission to strengthen - aimed at enabling and empowering the state and society in implementing and protecting freedoms and fundamental human rights.
HISTORY
PUSHAM UII was officially established on March 20, 2000, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Rector of the Universitas Islam Indonesia and the Minister of State for Human Rights Affairs on April 7, 2000.
The establishment of PUSHAM UII was driven by great awareness and concern of the academic community at the Universitas Islam Indonesia about the dire human rights conditions in Indonesia. For more than three decades, Indonesia's history has been marked by various forms of human rights violations, suffering, and social inequality. This reality has created deep concern and strong motivation among the academic community at the Universitas Islam Indonesia to strive to improve the human rights situation in the country. At the same time, the newly formed Ministry of State for Human Rights Affairs also had the same concern to disseminate and promote human rights. This issue led to the aforementioned Memorandum of Understanding.
Since its establishment in 2000 to date, PUSHAM UII has contributed to the promotion of human rights that are oriented towards mainstreaming human rights principles and practical human rights training for the public. In addition, PUSHAM UII also plays a role in efforts to strengthen the state, including society, in respecting, fulfilling, and protecting human rights. This is realized, among other things, through:
- human rights-based research, the outputs of which are used as a basis for policy change,
- policy advocacy and development of policy implementation mechanisms, and
- human rights education and training for civil society and state apparatus.
EN 
ID