This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/8114001.stm
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 6 | Version 7 |
|---|---|
| Kenyan veterans in UK court bid | Kenyan veterans in UK court bid |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A compensation claim against the British government brought by veterans of Kenya's independence struggle has been lodged at the High Court. | A compensation claim against the British government brought by veterans of Kenya's independence struggle has been lodged at the High Court. |
| Three men and two women have launched the case over alleged human rights abuses in the 1950s and 1960s. | Three men and two women have launched the case over alleged human rights abuses in the 1950s and 1960s. |
| Thousands of people were rounded up and forced into camps by the British during what was known as the Mau Mau uprising. | Thousands of people were rounded up and forced into camps by the British during what was known as the Mau Mau uprising. |
| The UK says the claim is not valid because of the amount of time since the abuses were alleged to have happened. | The UK says the claim is not valid because of the amount of time since the abuses were alleged to have happened. |
| The five Kenyans - aged in their 70s and 80s - are the lead claimants in the reparations case. | The five Kenyans - aged in their 70s and 80s - are the lead claimants in the reparations case. |
| 'Beaten and castrated' | 'Beaten and castrated' |
| They want the UK government to acknowledge responsibility for atrocities committed by Kenyans in camps administered by the British in the pre-independence era. | |
| Their lawyer, Martyn Day, said he believed his clients had "a good chance of success". | Their lawyer, Martyn Day, said he believed his clients had "a good chance of success". |
| He added that the British government of the time had given "a blank cheque" to camp guards in their attempts to force people to abandon the resistance movement. | He added that the British government of the time had given "a blank cheque" to camp guards in their attempts to force people to abandon the resistance movement. |
| Mr Day told a news conference: "We want the British government to say what we did was so wrong back in the 1950s. | Mr Day told a news conference: "We want the British government to say what we did was so wrong back in the 1950s. |
| Not a day goes by when I do not think of these terrible events Ndiku Mutua Your views: Kenya Mau Mau case | Not a day goes by when I do not think of these terrible events Ndiku Mutua Your views: Kenya Mau Mau case |
| "What did we do in the period just after the Second World War, how many atrocities were we responsible for in that terrible period?" | "What did we do in the period just after the Second World War, how many atrocities were we responsible for in that terrible period?" |
| Ndiku Mutua, one of the five, said: "I live with the physical and mental scars of what happened to me. | Ndiku Mutua, one of the five, said: "I live with the physical and mental scars of what happened to me. |
| "Not a day goes by when I do not think of these terrible events. At last I can tell my story and at last I can hope for justice from the British courts." | "Not a day goes by when I do not think of these terrible events. At last I can tell my story and at last I can hope for justice from the British courts." |
| Mr Mutua said that in 1954 he was arrested, severely beaten and castrated with pliers, at Lukenya detention centre. | Mr Mutua said that in 1954 he was arrested, severely beaten and castrated with pliers, at Lukenya detention centre. |
| Another claimant, Paulo Nzili, also said he was castrated. Wambugu Wa Nyingi said he was tied upside down by the feet and beaten. | Another claimant, Paulo Nzili, also said he was castrated. Wambugu Wa Nyingi said he was tied upside down by the feet and beaten. |
| Jane Muthoni Mara and Susan Ngondi said they were sexually assaulted. | Jane Muthoni Mara and Susan Ngondi said they were sexually assaulted. |
| The government has indicated that the claim is invalid because of the time that has passed and that any liability rested with the Kenyan authorities after independence in 1963. | The government has indicated that the claim is invalid because of the time that has passed and that any liability rested with the Kenyan authorities after independence in 1963. |
| Historians say the Mau Mau movement helped Kenya achieve independence. | |
| But their actions have also been blamed for crimes against white farmers and bloody clashes with British forces throughout the 1950s. | |
| The armed movement began in central Kenya during the with the aim of getting back land seized by British colonial authorities. | |
| Veterans of the war say they suffered barbaric treatment, including torture, as the British suppressed the rebellion. | Veterans of the war say they suffered barbaric treatment, including torture, as the British suppressed the rebellion. |
| The Kenya Human Rights Commission has said 90,000 Kenyans were executed, tortured or maimed during the crackdown, and 160,000 were detained in appalling conditions. | The Kenya Human Rights Commission has said 90,000 Kenyans were executed, tortured or maimed during the crackdown, and 160,000 were detained in appalling conditions. |
| Were you in Kenya in the 1950s? What are your memories of the Mau Mau uprising? Send us your comments. | Were you in Kenya in the 1950s? What are your memories of the Mau Mau uprising? Send us your comments. |
| The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |