Bruxelles, 18 May 2026
The Lumumba family's legal team has been informed of the death of Étienne Davignon, a former Belgian diplomat and senior state official allegedly involved in the abduction and murder of Patrice Émery Lumumba.
This death brings to an end the public prosecution initiated more than 15 years ago following a criminal complaint concerning the assassinations of Patrice Lumumba, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito. It is therefore deeply regrettable that the Lumumba family is denied a criminal judicial outcome in this case.
This procedural development must, however, not obscure the historical significance of developments that have taken place in recent years. After more than fifteen years of legal fight waged by the Lumumba family and their legal team, an unprecedented indictment had been secured in a case without precedent in Belgium and, more broadly, in Europe, concerning liability for a political crime committed in a colonial context.
On 17 March, the Chamber of Council of the Brussels Court of First Instance took a historic decision by ordering the referral of Étienne Davignon, the last alleged perpetrator still alive, to the criminal court for war crimes and the murders of Patrice Lumumba, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito.
The federal prosecutor's submissions and the court's decision represented a major step forward in the search for truth and accountability, not only for Belgium but more broadly for the issue of European colonial crimes. These developments have laid the essential historical, legal and factual foundations for the ongoing pursuit of justice.
After more than six decades of impunity, the passing of Mr Davignon cannot therefore bring the Lumumba family's struggle to an end. This struggle extends beyond individual criminal liability. It also concerns the responsibility of the Belgian authorities for the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, as well as the lasting consequences of colonial history.
In this context, the defence team confirms that it is continuing its work to pursue further legal action, particularly in the form of a civil complaint, against the Belgian State. Although Belgium acknowledged its moral responsibility for the assassination in 2001, it is now necessary to establish genuine legal responsibility and to carry out a genuine truth-seeking process regarding colonial crimes.
"Mr Davignon's death cannot erase Belgium's legal responsibility for the assassination of Patrice Lumumba. A civil action against the Belgian state must enable the truth to be established and justice to be done. Through this historic indictment, the Brussels courts have laid the foundations for this new phase - an important precedent for justice regarding European colonial crimes", states Wolfgang Kaleck, Secretary General of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and legal adviser to the Lumumba family.
The Lumumba family, for its part, points out that: "When François Lumumba filed the initial criminal complaint on 23 June 2011, he named several Belgian citizens for their alleged involvement in the assassination of Patrice Émery Lumumba, Maurice M'polo and Joseph Okito, Mr Davignon included. With his passing, these criminal proceedings are formally extinguished. The Belgian federal prosecutor, after a thorough investigation, and the Brussels Court of First Instance concluded that this case merited trial, and that conclusion stands on the record; for the death of the last living accused does not close the historical record."
Further details regarding the timetable and procedures for this case will be provided shortly.
The quest for justice for Patrice Lumumba, his descendants, and the ideals he embodied - sovereignty, emancipation, and the right of peoples to self-determination - continues.
The Lumumba family will not be making a public statement at this stage.
Any press enquiries for the family's lawyers may be directed to: mlhd@juscogens.be