Britain to Compensate Kenyans Tortured in "Mau Mau" Rebellion

The Mau Mau People

 6 June2013,Source: VOA
Britain has agreed to compensate Kenyans who were tortured during a rebellion against colonial rule in the 1950s.
Foreign Secretary William Hague told parliament Thursday that more than 5,200 Kenyans will receive payments in a package worth nearly $31 million.
Hague said Britain recognizes and sincerely regrets that Kenyans were subject to torture and other forms of ill treatment from colonial administrators.
The abuse took place at a time Britain was trying to suppress the "Mau Mau" guerilla war against British colonial officials and white farmers.
Three now-elderly Kenyans had sued the British government seeking compensation for the abuse, which included sexual assault.
The government negotiated a settlement, after Britain's High Court ruled last October that the case could proceed.
The Mau Mau settlement could set a legal precedent. Across the former British Empire, Indians, Malaysians, Cypriots and Guyanese have filed similar cases seeking compensation for colonial-era abuse.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.