Etienne Davignon, a 93-year-old Belgian former diplomat and industrialist, died before he could stand trial for war crimes connected to the 1961 killing of Patrice Lumumba. Davignon had been ordered in March to face trial for alleged involvement in the unlawful detention or transfer of Lumumba and for depriving him of an impartial trial. Prosecutors also accused him of involvement in the deaths of Lumumba’s political allies, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito. Lumumba became the first prime minister after Congo’s independence in 1960, was ousted months later, and was killed on 16 January 1961 by Belgian-backed secessionist rebels. Davignon denied wrongdoing and was awaiting an appeal. The Lumumba family welcomed the trial order as the start of a reckoning.
"In March, Davignon was ordered to stand trial for war crimes for alleged involvement in the extra-judicial killing of Lumumba 65 years ago, a final attempt to shed light on one of the 20th century's most consequential political assassinations. Prosecutors said Davignon, a junior diplomat at the time, had participated in the unlawful detention or transfer of Lumumba and deprived him of his right to an impartial trial. Davignon was also accused of involvement in the murder of two of Lumumba's political allies, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito."
"Lumumba, who was elected the first prime minister of the country now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo upon its independence from Belgium in 1960, was ousted from power months later and killed by Belgian-backed secessionist rebels on 16 January 1961. The murder was a dark chapter in Belgium's colonial history and a watershed for the era's liberation struggles in African countries."
"He had denied any wrongdoing and at the time of his death was awaiting the outcome of an appeal against the Belgian court's decision to order him to stand trial. The court's decision had been welcomed by the Lumumba family, who said: For our family, this is not the end of a long fight, it is the beginning of a reckoning that history has long demanded."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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