We often hear mention of the long arm of the law.
It certainly has a habit of catching up with some wrongdoers
many years after the event. That has recently been the case with the
Hillsborough Independent Panel Report which should finally see those who were
at fault, on the day and in the subsequent cover up, brought to justice.
There have also been the convictions, this year, of Gary
Dobson and David Norris for the 1993 racist murder of Stephen Lawrence –
We now add to this list the case of the Kenyan torture
victims. They were subjected to the most horrific treatment at the hands of British
Officials in the 1950s. These crimes were committed in our name. The government
had argued that a fair trial was not possible due the length of time which has
passed. But Mr Justice McCombe has today ruled that there can be a fair trial because
of the extensive documents which survive.
It is disturbing that our government has tried to have these
cases struck out because of technical arguments. Indeed Desmond Tutu and others
has written to our PM to make this point –
"Our fear is that the British government's repeated
reliance on legal technicality in response to allegations of torture of the
worst kind will undermine Britain's
reputation and authority as a champion for human rights."
It may be that the guilty individuals cannot now be brought
to account, but the surviving victims are still entitled to justice by way of
an open apology and compensation. It is shameful that they have had to fight to
get this far.
These cases confirm again that if people fight for justice
it can ultimately be achieved even if the wheels often grind slowly.
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