A Belgian court made an unprecedented decision Tuesday, ruling that a 93-year-old former diplomat must face trial for his alleged involvement in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, Congo’s first prime minister and celebrated independence leader, media outlets reported.
Lumumba became the driving force behind Congo’s liberation from Belgian colonial rule in June 1960. The mineral-rich nation’s inaugural prime minister was just 35 when he was murdered, serving only three months in office before being ousted and killed the following year.
The defendant, Etienne Davignon, worked as a young diplomatic intern in Kinshasa during that period and represents the final living person among 10 Belgians suspected of participating in Lumumba’s death.
Davignon, who later became a vice president of the European Commission, has 14 days to challenge the charges and has consistently maintained his innocence.
Belgian federal prosecutors are pursuing charges against Davignon for “participation in war crimes” related to his alleged role in Lumumba’s “unlawful detention and transfer.”
The legal action stems from a 2011 lawsuit brought by Lumumba’s children in Belgium, seeking accountability for their father’s January 1961 killing by separatist forces. While Congolese individuals carried out the actual murder, suspicions have long surrounded potential Belgian and American involvement due to Lumumba’s suspected communist connections.
Lumumba’s remains were never recovered and are believed to have been destroyed with acid.
