Étienne Davignon, a 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat who was the first person prosecuted in the killing of Congo leader Patrice Lumumba, has died before going to trial. He was the last surviving figure under investigation in the assassination.
Davignon's death was confirmed by the Jacques Delors Institute, where he served on the board. He was a nobleman who served as a European commissioner in a career spanning decades as one of Belgium's top diplomats and business figures.
In March, Davignon was ordered to stand trial on war crimes charges related to the extrajudicial killing of Lumumba 65 years ago. This was a final effort to shed light on one of the most significant political assassinations of the 20th century.
Lumumba, elected as the first prime minister of the nation now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo after gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, was overthrown months later and killed by Belgian-backed separatist rebels on January 16, 1961.
The killing remains a dark chapter in Belgium's colonial history and was a turning point for liberation struggles in African nations at the time.
Prosecutors said Davignon, then a junior diplomat, was involved in the illegal detention or transfer of Lumumba and deprived him of the right to a fair trial. Davignon was also accused of involvement in the killing of Lumumba's two political allies, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito. He denied any wrongdoing and at the time of his death was awaiting the outcome of an appeal against the Belgian court's decision to order him to stand trial.
The court's earlier decision was welcomed by Lumumba's family. They said: “For our family, this is not the end of a long struggle, but the beginning of a judgment that history has long awaited.”
Davignon was the last surviving person under investigation. The court ruled that cases against other suspects would not proceed because they had died.
After his posting in Congo, Davignon rose to become a leading figure in the Belgian elite, serving as chief of staff to Prime Minister Paul-Henri Spaak in the late 1960s and as a European commissioner from 1977 to 1985. He held several board positions at Belgian and foreign companies. Born a viscount, he was elevated to count by King Philippe in 2018.
