Brussels, (Unib Rashid) — A court in Brussels has authorized the trial of 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat Étienne Davignon over alleged war crimes linked to the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Davignon, who later served as a European Commissioner, is among ten Belgian nationals accused by Lumumba’s family of involvement in his killing. The other nine suspects have since died, making Davignon the sole surviving accused in the decades-old case.

If proceedings move forward, Davignon would become the first Belgian official in over sixty years to face accountability for Lumumba’s death. Prosecutors allege that he played a role in Lumumba’s unlawful detention, transfer, and denial of a fair trial, and subjected him to degrading treatment.

The defense has rejected all allegations, arguing that the events occurred too long ago to be subject to prosecution.

According to historical accounts presented in court, Lumumba was 35 years old when he was killed. He had come to power following Congo’s independence from Belgium in 1960, but was overthrown within months by Belgium-backed separatist forces in Katanga and subsequently executed.

It is alleged that his body was dissolved in acid after his death and was never recovered. At the time of the killing, Davignon was a young diplomat involved in Congo’s independence negotiations. He later rose to become Vice President of the European Commission in the 1980s.

Lawyers representing Lumumba’s family described Davignon in court as part of a broader chain within what they called a “destructive state-sponsored criminal apparatus.” The Brussels court has also expanded the scope of the case to include Lumumba’s associates, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, who were killed alongside him.

Reacting to the decision, family lawyer Christophe Marchand called it a “major victory,” noting that when the case was first filed in 2011, few believed Belgium would seriously investigate its colonial past. “For any country, confronting colonial crimes is extremely difficult,” he said.

Long-running investigations have already revealed disturbing details surrounding the aftermath of Lumumba’s assassination. In 2022, his only known remains—a single tooth—were returned to Congo in a formal ceremony.

The tooth had been in the possession of the daughter of a Belgian police officer allegedly involved in the disappearance of Lumumba’s body. The repatriation included an official apology from Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who acknowledged Belgium’s “moral responsibility” and the failure of its officials.

Patrice Lumumba remains a powerful symbol of anti-colonial resistance in Congo. Following the court’s decision, his grandson, Mehdi Lumumba, stated: “Belgium is finally confronting its history.”