Belgium found guilty of crimes against humanity for ‘colonial era’ child kidnappings

Belgium has been found guilty of crimes against humanity for “systematic kidnapping” of children during its colonial-era occupation of Congo. Five women, now in their 70s, were kidnapped by the Belgian state between 1948 and 1961. At the time, it was commonplace for Belgium to forcibly remove dual heritage children, with Al Jazeera explaining:

Belgian colonial authorities believed that bi-racial children threatened the white supremacy narrative they had continually pushed and that they used to justify colonialism, experts say.

Michèle Hirsch, a lawyer for one of the women, said:

This is a victory and a historic judgment. It is the first time in Belgium and probably in Europe that a court has condemned the Belgian colonial state for crimes against humanity.

All five women were born to Congolese mothers and white fathers. However, there are many more children that were abducted with the Guardian reporting:

Although the precise numbers are unclear, thousands of children were affected by the policy of forced removals and segregation during Belgium’s decades-long rule over the territories of the modern-day Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.

Belgium: stolen lives

Back in 2017 the Catholic church apologised for the instrumental role it played in the kidnappings – church-run orphanages facilitated the kidnappings through colluding with the state. Then, in 2019 the Belgian government had apologised for the abduction of dual heritage children. In 2020, the Belgian king also expressed “profound regret.” Nevertheless, the women’s initial appeal was rejected, and this latest victory has only come via the court of appeal.

The court of appeal described the crimes as:

an inhumane act and persecution constituting a crime against humanity under the principles of international law.

These crimes must be understood as a horrifyingly everyday facet of Belgian’s colonisation of Congo. The king at the time, Leopold II, oversaw a reign of terror:

The colonial administration wielded control over the native population by imposing a regime of terror, and there were frequent mass killings and mutilations. Violence and terrorism were the means adopted to impose the will of the Belgian king and the trading agents over the African people.

The state of Belgium carried out a brutal genocide against the Congo. It’s now being understood as “one of the biggest mass murders in modern history.” Despite the scale and breathtaking violence of Belgium’s barbarity against Congo, the nation has done very little to make meaningful amends.

Reparations

This latest decision from the court of appeal comes as calls for reparations resound from many previously colonised nations. As Hirsch outlined, the outcome of this case sets an important precedent:

This sets a precedent that the African population can also be victim of crimes against humanity, in the same way as the Shoah or the extermination of Roma people.

Indeed, Amnesty International’s Rym Khadhraoui said:

Today’s ruling is a positive step towards repairing these historical injustices. We hope it is the sign of hope for those who seek accountability for the long-lasting impact on human rights of European colonialism.

This case should make one Keir Starmer shake in his boots. Three Labour MPs – Diane Abbott, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, and Clive Lewis – have accused Starmer of having a “colonial mindset” in his refusal to even have discussions about reparations over slavery.

Starmer can try and stick his head in the sand all he likes, but the tide is turning. Starmer has said he wants to be “looking forward rather than looking backwards.” Unfortunately for him, the colonised peoples of the world are fighting for basic recognition of crimes against humanity. This latest court decision is only the latest in a long path to repair for the abject crimes of colonialism.

Featured image via YouTube screenshot/AFP News Agency