‘Today’s ruling is a positive step towards repairing these historical injustices’ - Rym Khadhraoui

In a historic move today, Belgium has been convicted of crimes against humanity for acts committed during colonisation which must signal as a turning point for European States, said African Futures Lab and Amnesty International.

The Brussels Court of Appeal recognised the responsibility of the Belgian State in the abduction and systematic racial segregation of Métis children under Belgian colonial rule, after five Métis women born between 1948 and 1952 in the Belgian Congo, initiated legal proceedings against the Belgian state. After a Brussels court ruled against their claims in 2021, they continued to seek redress and appealed the decision, reaching this historical ruling today.

Like thousands of Métis children born to European fathers and African mothers, Marie-Josée Loshi, Noëlle Verbeken, Léa Tavares Mujinga, Simone Ngalula, and Monique Bintu Bingi were taken from their Congolese mothers, forcibly placed in religious institutions, deprived of their roots and identity, and later abandoned to fend for themselves when Congo gained independence. Even today, the wounds of that era remain profound. The Métis children of colonisation still grapple with the consequences of these devastating practices, despite the official apology made by the Belgian Prime Minister at the time, Charles Michel, in 2018, and the Federal Parliament's adoption of the 'Métis Resolution' in 2019.

During the appeal hearing, Ms. Léa Tavares Mujinga stated:

"The Belgian state uprooted us, cut us off from our people. It stole our childhood, our lives, our first names, our surnames, our identities, and our human rights."

This decision represents long-awaited recognition and supports additional claims for reparations for Métis people, victims of Belgian colonisation. African Futures Lab and Amnesty welcome this courageous decision which paves the way for full recognition of the atrocities committed during colonisation and their ongoing harmful effects on the lives of survivors and their descendants.

Geneviève Kaninda from African Futures Lab, said:

"This historic decision highlights, beyond apologies, the importance of the right to reparations as defined by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005. While the Métis Resolution was limited to reparations 'by moral and administrative means', these five Métis women have succeeded in obtaining the reparations they considered necessary and appropriate for the harm they suffered during colonisation.”

Rym Khadhraoui, Amnesty International’s racial justice researcher, said:

“For far too long, reparations have been a longstanding demand from individuals and communities, such as the Métis women who took the Belgian state to court. 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.”