Belgian Court Orders Diplomat Trial for Lumumba Murder

A Brussels court has ordered former Belgian diplomat Count Etienne Davignon to stand trial over his alleged involvement in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, Congo's first prime minister. The ruling marks the first prosecution related to Lumumba's assassination, which occurred just months after Congo gained independence from Belgium.

Prosecutors have presented sufficient evidence to try Davignon on charges of war crimes and involvement in the unlawful detention or transfer of Lumumba. The 93-year-old diplomat is also accused of depriving Lumumba of his right to an impartial trial and subjecting him to 'humiliating and degrading treatment.' Additionally, Davignon is accused of involvement in the murders of two of Lumumba's political allies, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito.

Lumumba became an anti-colonial icon after his government was ousted in a coup just three months into his tenure. His murder marked a dark turn for Congo, which has since struggled with dictatorship and armed conflict despite its vast mineral resources. Belgium has recognized its responsibility and apologized for Lumumba's death.

The case was initially brought by Lumumba's surviving family members and has since been taken up by Belgian federal prosecutors. Lumumba's grandson, Mehdi Lumumba, welcomed the decision as 'historic,' stating that Belgium is finally confronting its history. The ruling follows a 2002 Belgian parliamentary investigation that concluded Belgium was 'morally responsible' for Lumumba's death.

The trial of Davignon, who went on to become a well-known diplomat as the first head of the International Energy Agency and a European Commissioner between 1977 and 1985, is seen as an attempt to shed light on the still murky circumstances surrounding Lumumba's murder. The decision can be appealed against.

If the trial goes ahead, Davignon would be the first Belgian official to face the courts in 65 years since the prime minister was killed and his body was dissolved in acid. While ten people were accused of being complicit in the murder of Lumumba, Davignon is the only suspect alive.

Lumumba's family lawyer, Christophe Marchand, described the decision as a 'gigantic victory,' noting that it was hard for Belgium to judge its own colonial crimes. The trial comes amid growing recognition of Belgium's role in Congo's history and efforts to address past atrocities committed during the colonial era.

Lawyers for Davignon argued in a closed-door hearing in January that too much time had passed since the events, according to multiple sources. Prosecutors accuse Davignon of 'participation in war crimes' over his role in the 'unlawful detention and transfer' of Lumumba, as well as 'humiliating and degrading treatment.'

A fiery critic of Belgium's colonial rule, Lumumba became his country's first prime minister after it gained independence from Belgium in 1960. He was executed on January 17, 1961, aged just 35, in the southern region of Katanga, with the support of Belgian mercenaries. His body was never recovered.

Davignon, who went on to become a vice president of the European Commission in the 1980s, was a novice diplomat at the time of the assassination. After entering the diplomatic service in 1959, Davignon rose through the ranks after his early involvement in Congolese independence talks.

Christophe Marchand, a lawyer for Lumumba's family, described the accused as 'a link in the chain' of a 'disastrous state-sponsored criminal enterprise.' The case had already led to one macabre discovery: one of Lumumba's teeth. The only known remains of the assassinated leader was seized from the daughter of a deceased Belgian police officer who had been involved in the disappearance of the body.

It was returned in a coffin to the authorities in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, during an official ceremony in 2022 that aimed to turn a page on the grim chapter of its colonial past. During the handover, then Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo reiterated the government's 'apologies' for its 'moral responsibility' in Lumumba's disappearance. De Croo pointed the finger at Belgian officials who at the time 'chose not to see' and 'not to act'.