Étienne Davignon Faces Hearing in Patrice Lumumba Assassination Case

Brussels Belgium, January 20, 2026 - The Brussels Criminal Court held a crucial hearing on Tuesday in the long-standing case surrounding the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of independent Congo. The hearing involved Étienne Davignon, the 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat and industrial strategist, though he was absent from the proceedings. The hearing marks the first session since the Belgian federal prosecutor requested on June 17-after over a decade of investigation-that Davignon be sent to trial. He faces charges including illegal detention and transfer, violation of the right to a fair trial, and inhuman and degrading treatment inflicted on Lumumba. Charges of attempted murder have not yet been upheld. Six grandchildren of Patrice Lumumba attended the hearing as civil parties, joining the proceedings to seek accountability for the 1961 assassination of Lumumba, along with Maurice M’Polo and Joseph Okito, in Katanga amidst Cold War tensions and regional secessions. Davignon, a prominent figure in Belgian diplomacy and politics who later became a European Commissioner and industrial strategist, was stationed in Kinshasa and Brazzaville in the early 1960s. According to prosecutors, his diplomatic position provided him with information regarding Lumumba’s arrest and the conditions of his transfer. “This is an important step toward redressing a colonial crime,” said Christophe Marchand, lawyer for the Lumumba family, describing the hearing as a “crucial step.” The reopening of the case follows extensive historical research, particularly by historian Ludo De Witte, who documented Belgian civilian and military involvement in Lumumba’s execution. Davignon is now the last surviving Belgian among the ten individuals named in the 2011 complaint filed by Lumumba’s family for war crimes, torture, and inhumane treatment. Judicial sources indicate that the case is expected to be adjourned for deliberation, with no decision anticipated for several weeks.