Britain gives green light to compensate Kenyan torture victims

Britain is negotiating to compensate thousands of Kenyans who claim they were severely mistreated by their colonial rulers during the 1950s Mau Mau uprising, a report says.

According to a letter sent to lawyers representing some of the claimants, the Foreign Office is adjourning an appeal against last October's High Court ruling which gave victims the green light to sue the government.

Instead, Britain is offering to start negotiating a settlement, according to the report in The Guardian newspaper.

"The parties are currently exploring the possibility of settling the claims brought by our clients," Dan Leader, a partner with the Leigh Day law firm, told The Guardian. "Clearly, given the ongoing negotiations, we can't comment further."

The Foreign Office said it would be "inappropriate" to discuss the talks.

"We believe there should be a debate about the past," it said in a statement. "It is an enduring feature of our democracy that we are willing to learn from our history.

"We understand the pain and grievance felt by those, on all sides, who were involved in the divisive and bloody events … in Kenya. It is right that those who feel they have a case are free to take it to the courts.