Full name: Johannes Cornelis Princen; first name Jan, although better known as Poncke Princen, the name Poncke dates from his time in German captivity; encouraged his fellow prisoners by reading them from the book Pastoor Poncke from the author Jan H. Eekhout, a regional novel with as main character a social and an against corruption struggling priest; Jan Princen received this nick name from his fellow prisoners, considering it as a name of honour; born in The Hague, the Netherlands 21 November 1925, died in Jakarta 22 February 2002; educated at the Roman Catholic preparatory seminary of the Fathers of the Holy Spirit in Weert, just as his brother Kees, 1939-1943; caught by the Germans when he attempted to escape his occupied country 1943; joined the Dutch shock troops immediately after the liberation in 1944; sent to Indonesia as a conscript, where the Dutch tried to restore their colonial rule 1946; deserted to the Indonesian army 1948; converted to Islam in the 1950s; worked at the Indonesian Immigration Office 1950-1953; member of the Indonesian national parliament 1956; arrested and imprisoned twice because of his critical attitude towards the Sukarno government 1957-1958, 1962-1966; director of the Lembaga Pembela Hak-Hak Azasi Manusia (LPHAM), the Indonesian Institute for the Defence of Human Rights in Jakarta from 1966; correspondent for Dutch media 1966-1970; after anti-Japanese demonstrations (the Malari Affair) again arrested and imprisoned 1974-1976; after his release as a prominent human rights activist involved in the defence of opponents to the Suharto regime and in the support of the people of Aceh and East Timor. See also Poncke Princen's lifestory drawn by Joyce van Fenema under the title Poncke Princen. Een kwestie van kiezen(Den Haag, 1995).

Gift Jan Poncke Princen 1998

Part of his papers (0.25 m) were received by the IISH in 1997 from his brother Kees Princen, who also gave his own papers including his correspondence with Poncke Princen. In 1998 the IISH received the main part of the papers from Princen.

Correspondence with Kees Princen 1989-1996 and other family members 1944-1973; diary 1947; personal documents 1961, 1963, 1990s; letters and other documents on his 70th birthday 1995; biographical documents, including reports and notes 1987-1992; files on his support of the opposition in East Timor 1982-1993; on the activities of the LPHAM 1987-1990; on his trade union activities, including correspondence with the ILO 1990-1995; on politics and political parties in Indonesia 1991-1996 and files concerning Indonesian political prisoners and ex-tapols 1993; on the death of Poncke Princen 2002.

Inventory by Tiny de Boer in 2009, accrual 2017 by Bouwe Hijma.

See also the papers of Kees Princen.