Sixty-five years after the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, a key figure in the Congolese independence movement, the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office hopes that a trial may finally take place – possibly in 2026 – as part of the investigation into “war crimes” opened in Belgium, the former colonial power.
The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office announced during the week that it had requested the referral of former Belgian diplomat Étienne Davignon to the Brussels criminal court, as part of the investigation into the 1961 assassination of former prime minister Patrice Lumumba.
