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| Papers in the case were first served on the government in 2009 |
The British
government accepts that colonial forces in Kenya tortured and abused detainees
during the Mau Mau rebellion, the High Court has heard.
Three
elderly Kenyan men who are suing the government for damages were told it did
not dispute that "terrible things" had happened to them.
Their
lawyers say it is the first ever official acknowledgement by the UK.
The revolt
against British rule in Kenya in the 1950s and 1960s was marked by atrocities,
with thousands killed.
The British
government argues that too much time has passed for a fair trial to be
conducted.
Before
starting cross-examination of witnesses at the trial, the QC for the British
government, Guy Mansfield, said he did not want to dispute that civilians had
suffered torture and ill-treatment at the hands of the colonial administration.
He then
directly spoke to one of the witnesses, telling him that he did "not want
to dispute the fact that terrible things happened to you".
Appalling
abuse
Papers in
the test case were first served on the UK in 2009.
In 2011, a
High Court judge ruled the claimants - Paulo Muoka Nzili, Wambuga Wa Nyingi and
Jane Muthoni Mara - did have an arguable case.
In his
ruling, Mr Justice McCombe emphasised that he had not found there was
systematic torture in the Kenyan camps nor that, if there was, the UK
government was liable for what happened.
The
claimants' lawyers allege that Mr Nzili was castrated, Mr Nyingi severely
beaten and Mrs Mara subjected to appalling sexual abuse in detention camps
during the rebellion.
A fourth
claimant, Ndiku Mutwiwa Mutua, has died since the High Court ruling that the
test case could go ahead.
Their
lawyers have said they represent hundreds of Kenyans who were victims of
brutality in the 1950s and 1960s.
The hearing
will have access to an archive of 8,000 secret files that were sent back to
Britain after Kenya gained its independence in 1963.
South
African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has written to Prime Minister David Cameron
accusing Britain of neglecting its human rights duties over the case.
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