Mau Mau Kenyans allowed to sue UK government
Four elderly Kenyans have been given permission to take legal action over alleged British colonial atrocities committed during the Mau Mau uprising.
The High Court in London ruled they could sue over alleged torture directed by the British authorities in the 1950s and 1960s.
Three men and a woman want compensation from the government.
It comes as Foreign Office documents released in May showed that the alleged abuse was "sort of a guilty secret".
The documents give further details of what ministers in London knew about how the colony was attempting to crush the rebellion that paved the way to independence.
They contain reports of British officers implicated in atrocities, including the murder of suspected Mau Mau rebels.
The four Kenyans who can now sue the UK say the documents form a paper trail proving that London knew about and approved torture and abuse in Kenya.
The government has argued that it could not be liable because it happened outside of the UK.
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A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
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