Chris Blattman

Search
Close this search box.

Did the UK torture Obama’s grandfather?

I was going to title the post “In praise of infamous men” but then I thought, how about a sensationalist title for once?

Now, to the infamous man to be praised:

Claims by Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office that it had misplaced hundreds of thousands of documents relating to the torture of Kenyans suspected of involvement in the Mau Mau rebellion have turned out to be false. The documents, covering about 110 feet of shelf space, were tracked down by a determined FCO official, Edward Inglett, who had been told by colleagues that the huge cache of files could not be found.

A case brought in the London High Court by four elderly Kenyans against the British government for torture during colonial rule precipitated the search. After Inglett’s discovery, the FCO apologised profusely to the Court and to the Kenyan claimants.

From Africa Confidential. The choicest tidbit:

Sparking much diplomatic interest will be documents relating to the treatment of Hussein Onyango Obama, an anti-colonial activist who was gaoled in Kenya in 1949-51 and reportedly tortured.

Yes, it is the grandpa, suffering the fate of community organizers in less hospitable climes.

2 Responses

  1. Tim Hetherington, world renowned Oscar nominated and award winning photo journalist was killed yesterday in Misrata Libya by Gaddafi’s forces. What a sad loss. The world will miss him. Among his many works are the movies “Restrepo,” and “Liberia: An Uncivil Civil War.”

Why We Fight - Book Cover
Subscribe to Blog