Groundbreaking: The Lumumba-Trial, the Lafarge Convictions and Defending International Law.
Newsletter
2026
Recent weeks have seen major progress in breaking the shield of impunity for corporate crimes and colonial violence. The verdict in the Lafarge case, after nearly a decade of legal work, set an important precedent for corporate accountability: executives and the company itself were found guilty of financing terrorism and violating sanctions by paying armed groups in Syria to keep a cement plant running, amidst the civil war. The trial showed how corporate structures can enable criminal conduct through diffused responsibility. In the Lumumba case, a Belgian court has decided to move forward with a trial addressing Belgium’s role in the assassination of Congo’s first Prime Minister. Together, these cases highlight new avenues for addressing impunity within complex bureaucratic systems that obscure accountability. Learn more about these cases and others in this newsletter.
