Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Senior lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, who died of kidney failure at Pondok Indah Hospital on Wednesday, was buried at the Tanah Kusir Public Cemetery in South Jakarta with full military honors, here on Thursday.

Chief Economic Minister Darmin Nasution acted as the inspector of the burial ceremony.

The burial, which was marked by a gun salute given by six military soldiers, was carried out in a military ceremony as the late Buyung was the recipient of the "Bintang Mahaputra" star awarded by then President B.J. Habibie in 1999 for his service as deputy chief of the General Elections Commission (KPU).

The late Buyung had earned the right to be buried at the Hero Cemetery, but his family refused it on grounds that he would be buried beside the grave of his oldest son.

Buyung passed away at Pondok Indah Hospital at 10:17 a.m. local time, on Monday, due to kidney failure. He was 81.

Born in Batavia (now Jakarta) on July 20, 1934, Buyung had been active in the field of law since his youth.

As the pioneer of legal aid and law reforms in Indonesia, Buyung gained his bachelors degree in law from the University of Indonesia, an International Law degree from the University of Melbourne, a doctorate degree from Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands, and the Professor of Law from Melbourne Law School, the University of Melbourne in Australia.

He was a public prosecutor at the Special District Court of Jakarta from 1957 to 1961.

He was the Head of Public Relations and Politics at the Attorney Generals Office between 1962 and 1968.

Simultaneously, he was a member of the Indonesian Parliament during the 1966-1968 period.

In 1969, Buyung was admitted to the Bar as an advocate and founded the law firm, Adnan Buyung Nasution and Associates.

A year later, in 1970, he established the Legal Aid Institute (LBH), the first legal aid and human rights organization in Indonesia.

Buyung held the position of vice chairman of the KPU in 1999, which conducted the first general elections in the reform era.

He also became a member of the Presidential Advisory Council of the Republic of Indonesia in 2007-2009.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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