The Belgian prosecutor's office intends to bring 92-year-old former diplomat Étienne Davignon to justice for his alleged involvement in the assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1961. This is reported by UNN with reference to the BBC.
Details
Davignon is accused of participating in the illegal detention and transfer of Lumumba, as well as degrading treatment of him. He himself has not commented on the situation.
Lumumba's children filed a complaint with the Belgian judiciary back in 2011. They demanded an investigation into the circumstances of the murder of their father, who was executed at the age of 35. According to AFP, Davignon is the only one of the ten Belgian suspects who is still alive.
The decision to bring the case to court will be made by an investigating judge. The hearing is scheduled for January 2026.
We are moving in the right direction. We strive, first of all, for the truth
Additionally
The politician was shot with the support of Belgium – the former colonial power. His body was dissolved in acid. The only fragment found was a tooth with a gold crown, which the Belgian authorities returned to the family in 2022.
Belgian police commissioner Gérard Soete, who coordinated the destruction of the body, confessed that he kept the tooth for himself. He also spoke about a second tooth and two fingers that were never found.
In 2001, the Belgian parliamentary commission recognized Belgium's "moral responsibility" for the murder. In 2002, the government apologized to the Lumumba family and the Congolese people.
Reference
Patrice Lumumba became the first Prime Minister of Congo after independence in June 1960. In less than seven months, he went from a national leader to a victim of murder. After the separatist crisis in Katanga province, he was removed from power. In December 1960, he was arrested for the second time and transferred to Katanga.
On January 16, 1961, he was attacked during transport, and the next day he was shot along with two allies.
Let us remind you
In the 1980s, Davignon was Vice-Chairman of the European Commission. At the time of Lumumba's murder, he was a trainee diplomat. His role in the events remains under investigation.
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