African Futures Lab welcomes the decision rendered today, on 17 March 2026 by the Pre-Trial Chamber of the Brussels Court of First Instance to refer Étienne Davignon to the criminal court in connection with the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, alongside Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo. This decision constitutes a major and long-overdue breakthrough.
For more than six decades, this case has been marked by silence, obstruction, and the absence of judicial accountability, despite the gravity of the crimes and their profound historical consequences. Today’s decision signals that this cycle may finally be coming to an end.
For the first time, a Belgian court will be called upon to examine, under criminal law, individual responsibility in the assassination of an African independence leader. This step is the result of years of determination and persistence by the Lumumba family, supported by legal teams and civil society actors who have refused to accept that such a severe crime remains beyond the reach of justice.
This decision heralds a decisive shift: what was long treated as a matter of history or political responsibility is now entering the realm of judicial scrutiny.
Its significance extends far beyond the present case. The assassination of Patrice Lumumba marks not only the murder of a Prime Minister of a newly independent State; this was an act that profoundly altered the political trajectory of a nation and symbolised the violent resistance of imperialist powers to anticolonial projects of sovereignty and self-determination.
This moment challenges a longstanding pattern where colonial political crimes have been relegated to the margins of justice. For decades, such acts have been, at best, acknowledged, documented, and debated—yet rarely brought before a court of law.
Today’s decision sends a clear message: the passage of time, the political sensitivity of the facts, and the involvement of State actors are not in themselves reason enough escape judicial accountability.
This moment also carries an important political significance. At a time when European states continue to invoke the rule of law and international justice on the global stage, this case underscores the necessity of applying these principles consistently, including to their own historical crimes.
African Futures Lab reiterates that meaningful accountability requires more than mere recognition. It requires that courts be allowed to examine facts, determine responsibilities, and, where appropriate, establish legal consequences.
Today’s decision thus represents a historic step forward and an important reminder that even after several decades, justice can still be set in motion to address historical wrongs and end impunity.