Yap Thiam Hien

John Yap Thiam Hien (25 May 1913 – 25 April 1989) was an Indonesian human rights lawyer.

Life Born in Kutaraja, Aceh, Dutch East Indies, his father was Yap Sin Eng and his mother was Hwan Tjing Nio. Yap's family, living in genteel but reduced circumstances, was part of the Cabang Atas or the local Chinese gentry; through his father, Yap was a great-grandson of Yap A Sin, Luitenant der Chinezen of Kutaraja from 1901 until 1922, a high-ranking position in the colonial civil bureaucracy.

Of Chinese Indonesian heritage, Yap was an advocate for human rights. He believed achieving minority rights needed to be part of the larger struggle for the rights of all people. Despite his Cabang Atas background, he turned down an offer to join the influential political party Chung Hwa Hui due to his skepticism of the latter's elitist outlook. Yap was one of the founders of (YLBHI), formerly known as Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH), which was a legal aid society to help the poor.

Death and legacy

While attending the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development conference in Brussels, Yap suffered from internal bleeding and was treated at St. Augustin Hospital for two days before he died on April25, 1989.

The Yap Thiam Hien Award is a human rights award named after him to commemorate his steadfastness and commitment. The Yap Thiam Hien Award Program has been managed by the Human Rights Study Center Foundation (Yayasan Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia or YAPUSHAM) since 1992.