Colonial secret papers to be made public
A collection of sensitive documents from Britain's colonial past are to be made public through the National Archives for the first time.
The files were sent to the UK from various former territories, mostly at the time they achieved independence. The documents emerged when four Mau Mau veterans sued the UK, saying they were tortured by Kenyan colonial government in the 1950s. The British government says it cannot be held responsible. It wants the claim thrown out by the High Court. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Foreign Office only became aware of the significance of the files in January because of research linked to the court case.