About US

OBJECTIVES

The Munir Human Rights Museum was originally established with the name Omah Munir (House of Munir) Human Rights Museum by the Omah Munir Human Rights Foundation in 2013 in the city of Batu, East Java,  where Munir was born and raised.  The Omah Munir Human Rights Museum was housed in the former house of Munir in Batu.

The establishment of the Museum is to promote human rights education for Indonesians, especially the youths to nurture peace-loving citizens that respects human rights and upholds the principles of tolerance and equality. 

In 2018, the Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City Government of Batu to establish a new building for the Museum.  The Batu City Government allocates a piece of land in the Village of Sisir in Batu as the new location for the Museum.  The new Museum shall be named the Munir Human Rights Museum.   The Provincial Government of East Java supported the initiative by allocating funds to finance the construction of the new Museum.   The Foundation shall be responsible over the management of the Museum.

The Munir Human Rights Museum will implement human rights education programs through exhibits in the Museum,  publication of teaching modules and books, trainings, discussions and arts activities .

The Munir Human Rights Museum strives to be the center for human rights education in Southeast Asia.

 

THE INSPIRATION : MUNIR SAID THALIB

The Munir Human Rights Museum is inspired by the lives and work of Munir Said Thalib, an Indonesian human rights defender who dedicated his life to defend the rights of human rights victims and survivors and to end impunity of human rights violators in Indonesia.

Munir graduated  from the School of Law of the Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java and started his career with the Surabaya Chapter of the Legal Aid Foundation.  He then continued his work to defend victims of human rights at the Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation in Jakarta.  Munir was credited for creation of the Committee for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence or KONTRAS and IMPARSIAL,  two NGOs dedicated for human rights advocacy programs. 

Munir carried out advocacy activities for several cases of human rights violations, among those were the murder of Marsinah, a labor leader from East Java (1992);  forced kidnapping and disappearance of pro-democracy activists (1997-98);  The Tanjung Priok massacre (1994-98); and the killings of pro-democracy activists during the 1998 political transitions (1998-99).  Munir also carried out advocacy for human righs cases violations in Aceh, Papua and East Timor.

Munir received international recognition for his work when he was awarded The Rights Livelihood Award from the Kingdom of Sweden in 2000 for the Promotion of Human Rights and Civilian Control over the Military in Indonesia.  The Asiaweek magazine in 1999 hailed Munir as one of 20  Asian Youth leaders for the new millennium.  In 2000 he received An Honourable Mention of The 2000 UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize for his work to promote tolerance and anti-violence.

In 2004,  Munir was assassinated with arsenic poisoning and died aboard the Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam where he planned to pursue post-graduate education.  He was 38 years old.  

President Susilo B. Yudoyono established an Independent Fact Finding Team in 2004 to investigate Munir’s murder.  The Team completed their investigation and submitted its report to the President in 2005.  However,  to date,  the actor behind Munir’s murder is still at large. 

 

FOUNDATION BOARD:

Founding Member:

Suciwati,  Chair

Smita Notosusanto,  Deputy Chaird

 

Executive Board

Mufti Makarimal Ahlaq

Poengky Indarti

Indria Fernida Alphasonny

Tosca Santoso

Butet Kartaredjasa

Andi Achdian

Founder & Management