A 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat, Etienne Davignon, has appealed a court decision ordering him to stand trial over the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, Congo’s first prime minister.
Davignon, a former vice-president of the European Commission, is accused of participating in the unlawful detention and transfer of Lumumba, depriving him of his right to an impartial trial.
Lumumba was ousted from power and killed by Belgian-backed secessionist rebels on January 16, 1961.
A 2002 Belgian parliamentary investigation concluded that Belgium was “morally responsible” for his death.
This trial marks the first prosecution related to Lumumba’s murder, making it a significant step towards accountability for one of the most contentious episodes in Belgium’s colonial history.
