Julien Lahaut

Julien Lahaut
Portrait of Lahaut
Chairman of the Communist Party of Belgium
In office
1945–1950
Personal details
Born(1884-09-06)6 September 1884
Seraing, Belgium
Died18 August 1950(1950-08-18) (aged 65)
Seraing, Belgium
Manner of deathAssassination
Political partyCommunist Party of Belgium
OccupationPolitician
Military service
AllegianceBelgium
Branch/serviceBelgian Army
Years of service1915–1918
UnitBelgian Expeditionary Corps
Battles/wars

Julien-Victor Lahaut (6 September 1884 – 18 August 1950) was a Belgian politician and communist activist who served as president of the Communist Party of Belgium from 1945 to 1950. An important figure during the German occupation of 1940–44, he became a vocal advocate for the abolition of the Belgian monarchy during the post-war Royal Question. His assassination in August 1950, at the height of the crisis, was linked to anti-communist and royalist elements inside the Belgian intelligence services by a team of historians in 2015; however, the murder remains officially unsolved.