Samuel Cogolati
Samuel Cogolati | |
|---|---|
Cogolati in 2024 | |
| Co-President of Ecolo | |
| Assumed office 13 July 2024 Serving with Marie Lecocq | |
| Preceded by | Jean-Marc Nollet |
| Member of the Chamber of Representatives | |
| In office 20 June 2019 – 8 May 2024 | |
| Constituency | Liège |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 March 1989 |
| Party | Ecolo |
Samuel Cogolati (born 12 March 1989) is a Belgian politician serving as co-president of Ecolo since 2024.[1] From 2019 to 2024, he was a member of the Chamber of Representatives.[2]
Early life
Cogolati was born on 12 March 1989 in Liège, Belgium.[3] When he was fourteen, Cogolati joined Ecolo.[4] He eventually obtained a master's degree in law from KU Leuven in 2013, and then a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 2014.[3] The following year, in 2015, he became a municipal councillor of Huy representing the party.[4] Simultaneously, he worked as a researcher for the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies at KU Leuven from 2014 to 2019.[3]
During the 2019 Belgian federal election, he ran to be a member of the Chamber of Representatives for Liège, a seat he won.[5] Since becoming a representative, he has particularly focused on the recognition of the Persecution of Uyghurs in China. Due to his campaigning regarding Uyghurs, particularly for submitting a resolution condemning the persecution of Muslims in Xinjiang, he was put on a Chinese sanctions list.[6] The Chinese government accused him of harming Chinese sovereignty.[6] Following this, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès, affirmed that she supported Cogolati.[6] He was also the target of a digital attack in 2023, which was linked to the Chinese state hacking group, APT31.[7]
In 2022, he announced he would teach courses at the Catholic University of Graben, which is located in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[8] Cogolati was not re-elected to parliament in the 2024 Belgian federal election.
References
- ^ "Ecolo : Samuel Cogolati et Marie Lecocq élus coprésidents à 70,65%" (in French). RTBF. 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Les deux duos en course pour la coprésidence d'Ecolo sont connus". L'Echo (in French). 1 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Faculteit Rechtsgeleerdheid en Criminologische Wetenschappen - Leden". www.law.kuleuven.be. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Huy: Samuel Cogolati, 24 ans, nouveau conseiller communal Ecolo". Sud Info (in French). 27 February 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Samuel Cogolati, le député qui se veut bâtisseur de ponts". La Libre. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "EU legt China sancties op wegens mensenrechtenschendingen Oeigoerse moslimminderheden, China reageert meteen | VRT NWS: nieuws". VRT (in Dutch). 22 March 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Belgisch parlementslid doelwit digitale aanval na kritiek op China". NOS (in Dutch). 1 March 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ DUCHATEAU, Catherine (7 November 2025). "Samuel Cogolati va enseigner le droit au Congo". Lavenir (in French). Retrieved 7 November 2025.