On 17 March 2026, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the Brussels Court of First Instance decided to refer Étienne Davignon to the criminal court in connection with the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, alongside Joseph Okito (President of the Senate) and Maurice Mpolo (Minister of Youth and Sports). This decision follows more than fifteen years of legal efforts led by the children and grandchildren of Patrice Lumumba in their pursuit of justice.
Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was executed in Katanga on 17 January 1961, a few months after the country’s independence from Belgium in June 1960. Following political tensions and international interferences, Lumumba was arrested, detained, and transferred to the secessionist province of Katanga, where he was assassinated alongside his companions.
For the first time in over six decades, individual criminal responsibility for this assassination may be examined before a court of law. This historic development challenges long-standing assumptions that colonial crimes cannot be prosecuted and signals a potential shift in addressing impunity for political crimes linked to colonization.
More than 60 years after his assassination, the Lumumba case remains of profound relevance not only for the Democratic Republic of Congo, but for broader discussions on justice, accountability, and the legacy of colonial violence across Africa. The targeted elimination of political leaders during and after independence has had lasting consequences on governance, stability, and development across the continent.