World news | The Guardian•Mar 17
Belgian court sends ex-diplomat, 93, to trial over 1961 murder of Congo leader
A former Belgian diplomat, 93, should stand trial over alleged complicity in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what was then the newly independent Congolese state, a Brussels court has ruled. ” The decision was also hailed by lawyers for the Lumumba family as setting a historic precedent in criminal justice for crimes allegedly committed under European colonial rule. Davignon is accused of participating in war crimes on three counts, according to information provided by the court of first instance in Brussels: “This is a historic decision,” Christophe Marchand, a lawyer for the family, said.
