On February 15, 1961, the ICJ sent the following telegram to President Moise Tshombe concerning the death of Messrs. Lumumba, M’polo and Okito.
“The International Commission of Jurists representing 39,000 lawyers judges and professors of law in 62 countries of the world deeply concerned by the circumstances of the death of Patrice Lumumba and two other political figures in Katanga territory considers essential thorough investigation of legal nature by highly qualified and impartial international committee STOP Commission of Jurists requests your Excellency to consider immediately the possibility of carrying out this request
Jean-Flavien Lalive
Secretary-General”
At the same time the International Commission of Jurists sent two other telegrams: one to the President of the Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kasavubu, to ask for his support of its request, the other to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, D. Hammarskjöld, to inform him of these steps.