Kenyans tortured by British colonial forces during the Mau Mau uprising will receive payouts totalling £20m, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced.
He said the UK government recognised Kenyans were tortured and it "sincerely regrets" the abuses that took place...
"I would like to make clear now, and for the first time, on behalf of Her Majesty's government, that we understand the pain and grievance felt by those who were involved in the events of the emergency in Kenya," he told the Commons.
"The British government recognises that Kenyans were subject to torture and other forms of ill-treatment at the hands of the colonial administration.
"The British government sincerely regrets that these abuses took place and that they marred Kenya's progress towards independence."
Mr Hague said 5,228 victims would receive payments totalling £19.9m following an agreement with lawyers acting for the victims, who have been fighting for compensation for a number of years.
Despite this,
He stressed that the government continued to deny liability for the actions of the colonial administration and indicated it would defend claims brought from other former British colonies. "We do not believe that this settlement establishes a precedent in relation to any other former British colonial administration," he said.
I think Israeli veterans of the underground struggle should pursue thus same avenue.
Consider these few, representative incidents:
January 17, 1946, Eliahu Ezra and Shaul Galili murdered by Sudanese guards in British Detention Camp in Eritrea. 12 others injured trying to help them.
April 14, 1947, Tel Aviv. A British naval unit boarded the refugee ship “Guardian” and seized it along with 2,700 passengers after a gun battle in which two immigrants were killed and 14 wounded.
May 12, 1947, Jerusalem. The British authorities announced that 312 Jewish political prisoners were held in Kenya, East Africa, 247 in Latrun and 34 in Bethlehem, Palestine.
July 18, 1947, Haifa. The American-manned Haganah refugee ship “Exodus 1947” (formerly the “President Warfield”) was escorted into Haifa by British naval units after a battle in which the American first mate, William Bernstein and two immigrants were killed and more than 30 injured.
July 31, 1947, Enraged British troops stormed into Tel Aviv, wrecked shops, attacked pedestrians and sprayed a bus with gunfire killing five Jews: two men, two women and a boy.
And Alexander Rubovitz, tortured to death by Roy Farran.
Is there a lawyer reading this?
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