Summary
A 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat, Etienne Davignon, has been ordered to stand trial in Brussels over the 1961 murder of Congo's first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba. Belgium had been found "morally responsible" for Lumumba’s death in a 2002 investigation, and this trial marks the first related to Lumumba's assassination.
Key Facts
- Etienne Davignon, a 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat, is set to stand trial.
- The trial is related to the 1961 assassination of Congo’s first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba.
- Patrice Lumumba served briefly as prime minister after Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960.
- Lumumba was killed by a Belgian-backed secessionist group in January 1961.
- A Belgian parliamentary investigation in 2002 found Belgium "morally responsible" for his death.
- Davignon, accused of war crimes, allegedly participated in Lumumba's unlawful detention and denied him a fair trial.
- Lumumba’s case has been pursued by his family and taken up by Belgian federal prosecutors.
- If the trial proceeds, it would be the first time a Belgian official faces the courts for this case in 65 years.
