On Thursday (September 25, 2025), the Faculty of Law at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) hosted a visit from the National Commission on Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia (Komnas HAM) in the Research Center Meeting Room, Building IV, UGM Faculty of Law. The meeting, which began at 9:00 a.m. WIB, was initiated by representatives of Komnas HAM through the Bureau of Legal Affairs, Public Relations, and Cooperation of the Komnas HAM General Secretariat. The discussion focused on the topic “Assessing Opportunities for the Functional Position of Legal Analyst at Komnas HAM Following Constitutional Court Decision No. 150/PPU-XXII/2024.”
At the meeting, the UGM Faculty of Law was represented by Dr. Sigid Riyanto, S.H., M.Si., Dr. Mahaarum Kusuma Pertiwi, S.H., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., Rizky Septiana Widyaningtyas, S.H., M.Kn., Dr. Airin Liemanto, S.H., LL. M., as well as staff from the UGM Faculty of Law’s Legal Aid Center (PKBH), Ghefira Mustika Putri and Adetia Surya Maulana. Meanwhile, Komnas HAM was represented by Jayadi Damanik, Ruhaida Ivasari, Gusti Asta, M. Ulfa, and Rizal.
Komnas HAM opened the discussion by highlighting Constitutional Court Decision No. 150/PUU-XXII/2024, which states that Article 3(1)(c) of Law No. 18 of 2003 on Advocates is inconsistent with the 1945 Constitution and therefore lacks legally binding force under certain conditions. This ruling established a new norm allowing civil servant lecturers to appear in court to serve the public as part of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education. Based on this, Komnas HAM sought to assess the possibility of equating the capacity of legal analyst functional positions within its institution with that of civil servant lecturers, thereby also enabling them to appear in court to expand access to justice for the public.
In response to this, faculty members from the UGM Faculty of Law shared their perspectives based on their respective areas of expertise. Dr. Mahaarum highlighted constitutional law aspects related to the outcome of the judicial review; Rizky Septiana emphasized issues of public administration, particularly the status of civil servants within the framework of the Constitutional Court’s ruling; Dr. Airin provided insights into legal aid practices at the UGM Faculty of Law’s Legal Aid Center (PKBH); while Dr. Sigid shared firsthand experiences from handling legal cases. From this discussion, three possible courses of action were identified: filing another judicial review with the Constitutional Court, seeking judicial review through the Supreme Court, or pursuing legislative review by amending the Advocates Act.
The meeting between the UGM Faculty of Law and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is expected to deepen legal understanding while strengthening collaboration between the academic community and state institutions. This collaboration also serves as a platform to critically examine the implementation of Constitutional Court rulings and to seek solutions so that resulting policies can truly expand public access to justice.
In the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this discussion directly contributes to the achievement of SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. Efforts to expand access to legal aid by strengthening the roles of faculty members and legal analysts reflect a commitment to more inclusive and non-discriminatory access to justice. Furthermore, the collaboration between the UGM Faculty of Law and Komnas HAM aligns with SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, which emphasizes the importance of cooperation among stakeholders in strengthening legal institutions in Indonesia.
Author : Adetia Surya Maulana (PKBH)
