Belgian ex‑official appeals war crimes trial over 1961 Congo leader's murder

A 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat ordered to stand trial over the 1961 killing of Congolese independence icon Patrice Lumumba has appealed the decision, his lawmaker said Friday.

A novice diplomat at the time, Etienne Davignon is the only person still alive among 10 Belgians accused by the Congolese leader's family of complicity in his murder.

"Mr Davignon has decided to lodge an appeal," lawyer Johan Verbist told AFP.

Davignon was ordered earlier this month to stand trial for "participation in war crimes" over his role in the "unlawful detention and transfer" of Lumumba, a prisoner of war at the time, and for him being denied a fair trial.

The one-time European commissioner is also accused of "humiliating and degrading treatment", although not of direct involvement in Lumumba's killing.

Lumumba, an outspoken critic of Belgium's colonial rule, became his country's first prime minister after it gained independence in 1960.

But he fell out with the former colonial power and with the United States and was ousted in a coup a few months after taking office.

He was executed on January 17, 1961, aged just 35, in the southern region of Katanga, with the aid of Belgian mercenaries -- and his body dissolved in acid.

Should the trial go ahead, Davignon would be the first Belgian official to face justice in the 65 years since Lumumba's death.

A new closed‑door hearing will now pit the parties' lawyers against each other.

If the court decision is upheld, Davignon's trial would take place at the earliest in January 2027, according to Christophe Marchand, lawyer for Lumumba's children.