A 93-Year-Old Former Belgian Diplomat Faces Trial for Crimes Committed in the Congo and the Effectiveness of International Law Enforcement for Colonial Era Crimes

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Friday, April 3, 2026

Author:

Dimitris Konstantopoulos

Volume:

42

Issue:

4

Abstract:

In March 2026, a Brussels court ordered a former Belgian diplomat, Étienne Davignon, to face trial for war crimes for his role in the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, an anticolonial and socialist activist and the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).