He is the co-founder of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation and a "leading advocate for the rights of the indigenous peoples of West Papua".

Following the award, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights formed a team of legal experts to assist Bambang in his work.

[1] In 1996, he succeeded Adnan Buyung Nasution as the head of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH, Lembaga Bantuan Hukum), a "central organisation within the pro-democracy movement".

Bambang's replacement of Nasution caused a schism within the group, and several activists left to form the rival Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association.

Widjojanto argued that corruption in the country would most easily be eradicated through preemptive efforts, including not allowing the state or its employees to do cash transactions over Rp 10 million.