COLONIAL GENOCIDE AND THE CONGO

Early day motion 2251, tabled 24 May 2006 by Andrew Dismore (Labour). Signed by 48 members.

That this House notes that in 2002 the Belgian Royal Museum of Africa commissioned a panel to investigate the nature and scale of atrocities committed by the then colonial authorities in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo; notes the commission was due to report in 2004, but no report seems to have been published; believes that many millions, estimated in 1919 at 50 per cent. of the population by official bodies of the Belgian Colonial government, died under the regime of King Leopold II between 1885 and 1908 in what was the world's only privately controlled colony, exposed in part by activists such as Roger Casement, British journalist E.D. Morel and UK, US and Swedish missionaries; whilst recognising the sensitivity of these matters in Belgium, believes the full truth should be known; and calls upon the Belgian government to publish all the evidence that is available and to apologise to the people of the Congo for the tragedy of King Leopold's regime, which can only be classed as genocide.

Signatures by party: Labour 31, Liberal Democrat 9, Conservative 2, Plaid Cymru 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, Respect 1, Scottish National Party 1.