Mar 17, 2026, 4:09 p.mMar 17, 2026, 4:09 p.m
Former Belgian top politician Étienne Davignon must go to court because he is suspected of playing a role in the murder of Congo’s first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba.
Étienne Davignon has to go to court.Image: IMAGO / Content Curation
The Council Chamber in Brussels decided that Davignon, now 93, must face a criminal trial, as the Belgian news agency Belga reports.
The public prosecutor’s office had previously requested that Davignon appear before the criminal court for, among other things, certain forms of involvement in war crimes and unlawful deprivation of liberty.
Belgium ruled with the most brutal methods
Specifically, it is about Davignon’s role in the murder of Lumumba in 1961. The first prime minister of Congo, which became independent from Belgium in 1960, was shot after his fall. According to allegations, Belgium and the USA had a hand in this and Davignon played a role as a young Belgian diplomat. Belgium was the colonial power in the Congo under Leopold II and ruled with the most brutal methods.
Former Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba (pictured right) was assassinated.Image: AP
About 15 years ago, a son of Lumumba filed a lawsuit against around a dozen Belgians who he believed could have been connected to the death. Davignon, who was EU commissioner from 1977 to 1985 and also vice president of the authority, is the only defendant who is still alive.
Patrice Lumumba was considered a charismatic socialist and is still revered in many places as a symbolic figure of African independence. (hkl/sda/dpa)