Belgian court tries ninety-three-year-old ex-diplomat for Congo murder
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- First seen: March 17, 2026 at 06:03 PM UTC
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- Last updated: March 18, 2026 at 12:05 AM UTC
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Belgian diplomat faces trial over 1961 DR Congo leader killing
Etienne Davignon, the only surviving suspect, is ordered to stand trial over war crimes tied to Patrice Lumumba's killing six decades ago. The case represents a historic moment in confronting Belgium's colonial past.
DW WorldMarch 18, 2026 at 12:03 AM UTCBelgian court sends ex-diplomat, 93, to trial over 1961 murder of Congo leader
Family of then PM, Patrice Lumumba, welcome decision to charge Étienne Davignon as ‘beginning of a reckoning’ A former Belgian diplomat, 93, should stand trial over alleged complicity in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what was then the newly independent Congolese state, a Brussels court has ruled. Étienne Davignon, the only person still alive among 10 Belgians the Lumumba family accuses of involvement in the killing, is charged with participation in war crimes. The illegal transfer of Lumumba and his associates from Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) to Katanga. The “humiliating and degrading treatment” of the men. Depriving them of a fair trial. Continue reading...
The Guardian WorldMarch 17, 2026 at 04:52 PM UTC