BRUSSELS, Belgium — A 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat, Etienne Davignon, has lodged an appeal against a court order that he stand trial for his role in the 1961 murder of Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba. Davignon, who was a novice diplomat at the time, is the sole surviving member of the group accused by Lumumba’s family of complicity in the murder.
The Belgian judge’s ruling, issued earlier this month, found sufficient evidence to try Davignon for “participation in war crimes, “based on allegations that Lumumba, then a prisoner of war, was unlawfully transferred to the secessionist Katanga region and denied a fair trial. Davignon is accused of “humiliating and degrading treatment, “though not of directly participating in Lumumba’s killing.
Patrice Lumumba, a vocal critic of Belgium’s colonial rule, became Congo’s first prime minister after independence in 1960. However, he clashed with Belgium and the United States, leading to his ousting in a coup just months after taking office. He was executed on January 17, 1961, at the age of 35, in Katanga, with the assistance of Belgian mercenaries, and his body was dissolved in acid.
Should the appeal be unsuccessful, Davignon would become the first Belgian official to face justice for Lumumba’s death in the 65 years since the event. A new closed-door hearing is scheduled to review the appeal, with a ruling expected within months. If the decision is upheld, the trial could commence as early as January 2027, according to Christophe Marchand, lawyer for Lumumba’s children.
Source: Africanews
