Born on 3 December 1957, Dr. Tommy Sihotang S.H., LL.M is a noted Indonesian lawyer of Batak

Batak (Indonesia)

Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The term is used to include the Toba, Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Angkola and Mandailing, each of which are distinct but related groups with distinct, albeit related, languages and...

 descent. Coming from a lower class family background, Tommy is now a professional and one of the leading Indonesian attorneys, involved in notable cases such as the case in East Timor. He is the current leader of the Christian Democratic Party Indonesia

Christian Democratic Party Indonesia

The Christian Democratic Party , is an Indonesian Christian Democratic political party founded in 2005....

. He is mainly active in Human Rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 law.

Personal life

Sihotang grew up in a Christian family with twelve other siblings, as a devoted Christian until today. He was raised in a small town of Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra

North Sumatra

North Sumatra is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.- Geography and population :...

. Later moved to the capital city of Indonesia, in Jakarta

Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

 along with his family. Sihotang then received his Bachelor's degree in Law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 (Sarjana Hukum) at Universitas Jaya Baya, Faculty of Law in 1986. Later he moved to Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 with his wife and two children and obtained his Master's degree

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 (LL.M) in International, Commercial, and European Law at the University of Sheffield

University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...

 for less than one and a half year in 1999. In 2007, he graduated his doctorate

Doctorate

A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...

 certificate at Universitas Padjajaran (Bandung

Bandung

Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...

) with an excellent thesis resulting a cum laude honor. Sihotang is also the current leader of the Indonesian Christian Democratic Party. Sihotang still manages time to lecture at Universitas Atma Jaya He has produced two books that was supported by the Indonesian Defense Minister, Juwono Sudarsono

Juwono Sudarsono

Juwono Sudarsono is The author of well-respected works on political science and international relations...

entitled "Ketika Komandan Didakwa Melanggar Hak Asasi Manusia" and "Hukum Acara di Pengadilan Hak Asasi Manusia".