Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Palestinian platforms: Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of the occupation police
Palestinian platforms: The IOF detonated a booby-trapped robot east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Syrian Defense: We call on all parties in Sweida to cooperate with security forces and exercise restraint
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Reality is that there is a very limited retreat of the vehicles, with the occupation forces providing cover undeer fire up to Salah al-Din Street

Belgium found guilty of crimes against humanity in colonial Congo

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 2 Dec 2024 23:15
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

Belgium's court of appeals has found the state guilty of crimes against humanity for forcibly separating five mixed-race children from their mothers in colonial Congo, awarding each woman €50,000 in damages

Listen
  • x
  • Marie-Jose Loshi, Monique Bitu Bingi, Lea Tavares Mujinga, Simone Ngalula, and Noelle Verbeeken speak with each other as they look over papers in Brussels, Belgium on June 29, 202. (AP)
    Marie-Jose Loshi, Monique Bitu Bingi, Lea Tavares Mujinga, Simone Ngalula, and Noelle Verbeeken speak with each other as they look over papers in Brussels, Belgium on June 29, 2024. (AP)

The Belgian state has been found guilty of crimes against humanity for forcibly separating five mixed-race children from their mothers in colonial Congo.

Belgium's court of appeals ruled Monday that five women, born in the Belgian Congo and now in their 70s, were victims of "systematic kidnapping" by the state when they were removed from their mothers as small children and sent to Catholic institutions due to their mixed-race heritage.

"This is a victory and a historic judgment," Michèle Hirsch, one of the women's lawyers, told local reporters. "It is the first time in Belgium and probably in Europe that a court has condemned the Belgian colonial state for crimes against humanity."

Monique Bitu Bingi, who was separated from her mother at the age of three, told The Guardian that justice had been served and expressed relief that the judges "recognized that this was a crime against humanity."

She was informed of the decision with the four other ladies who brought the lawsuit to their lawyer's office. "We jumped for joy," she explained.

Noëlle Verbeken, who was abducted from her mother and sent 500 km away, told Belgium's francophone public network RTBF that this decision shows "we are recognized."

Related News

Only one-third of UK anti-racism recommendations implemented

5 years after Floyd’s death, US’ racial reckoning stalls: WashPo

Léa Tavares Mujinga, Simone Ngalula, Marie-José Loshi, Bitu-Bingi, and Verbeken, all born to Congolese mothers and European fathers, were forcibly taken from their families by the Belgian colonial administration between 1948 and 1953 due to their mixed-race heritage and relocated to a Catholic mission in southern Kasaï.

After losing a case in 2021, the five women appealed, challenging the lower court's ruling that their abduction and segregation were not considered crimes under colonial law.

Treated as 'children of sin'

The court of appeals rejected Belgium's defense, noting its commitment to the Nuremberg tribunal legislation and the concept of crimes against humanity. The court ordered Belgium to pay €50,000 in damages to each of the women for the emotional distress caused by their forced separation from their families and loss of identity.

Thousands of children were affected by Belgium's program of forced removals and segregation in its former colonies, though the exact number remains unclear.

The girls, sent to the Katende mission, were registered as "mulattoes," their fathers' names erased or incorrectly listed, and were given new surnames and forged birth dates. At the mission, they were treated as "children of sin" and two were eventually raped during the civil war.

Four of the women eventually gained Belgian citizenship after lengthy legal battles, while Marie-José Loshi, who never received Belgian nationality, moved to France and became a citizen. The court ruled that their struggles with gaining citizenship and official recognition were not crimes against humanity, offering some relief to the Belgian authorities.

In 2018, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel apologized for the mistreatment of mixed-race children, acknowledging a violation of their human rights. The government created a body to help individuals trace their roots and is investigating the full extent of those affected by the policy, though the available records are incomplete.

  • Racism
  • colonial reparations
  • Colonialism
  • Belgium
  • Congo
  • war crimes

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS