The records the British Empire didn't want you to see - Audra A. Diptée

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

In 2009, five Kenyan people took a petition

2009 年，

五名肯亞人向英國首相 辦公室提交了一份請願書。

to the British Prime Minister’s office.

They claimed they endured human rights abuses in the 1950s,

他們聲稱他們在 1950 年代 受到人權侵害，

while Kenya was under British colonial rule and demanded reparations.

那時肯亞被英國殖民統治， 因此他們要求賠償。

They had vivid accounts and physical scars from their experiences—

他們有生動的敘述和他們的 經歷留下的實體傷疤——

but their testimonies were undermined.

但他們的證詞遭到懷疑。

They had no documentary evidence that Britain sanctioned systems of torture

他們沒有任何文件證據證明英國 批准對肯亞人動用酷刑的體制——

against Kenyans— at least, not yet.

至少，還沒有。

Thousands of secret files were waiting to be discovered.

有數千份秘密檔案等著被發現。

In 2010, a historian joined the trial as an expert witness

2010 年，一名歷史學家以 專家證人的身分參與了審判，

and attested to having seen references to missing documents.

他證實曾經見過關於 失蹤文件的參考資料。

They noted that Kenya had repeatedly requested the return of stolen papers,

他們指出，肯亞不斷重複 要求歸還被偷走的文件，

which the British government had refused.

而英國政府都拒絕了。

In fact, many historians suspected there were gaps in the archives.

事實上，許多歷史學家懷疑 檔案中存有一些遺漏。

As a result, the court ordered the release of any relevant documents.

因此，法庭下令釋出 任何相關的文件。

And, days later, British officials acknowledged that 1,500 pertinent files

數日後，英國官員承認 有一千五百份相關檔案

were being held in a high-security archive.

被存放在一個高度安全的檔案庫中。

It soon became clear that these were just a small sample

很快就發現，這些只是冰山一角，

of documents Britain hid between the 1950s and 70s,

英國在 1950 到 1970年代間 藏匿了更多文件。

while former colonies declared independence,

那時，先前的殖民地宣佈獨立，

as part of a widespread colonial British policy called Operation Legacy.

藏匿文件是殖民主義英國 政策「遺產行動」的一部分。

The policy was for British colonial officers to destroy or remove

這項政策要求英國殖民官摧毀

或處理掉可能會被用來指控英國

documentation that might incriminate Britain

and be of strategic value to the new governments.

並對新政府有策略價值的文件。

They were instructed to destroy, alter,

他們被指示要摧毀、修改，

or secretly transport these papers to the UK.

或偷偷運送這些文件到英國。

Documents slated for destruction were to be burnt to ashes

被標記要摧毀的文件應該要被燒成灰

or sunk in weighted crates far from shore.

或在遠離海岸的地方用 加重的貨箱裝著沉入大海。

During the trial, between 2010 and 2013,

審判期間，2010 年到 2013 年間，

an independent historian revealed they had located

一名獨立歷史學家揭露出他們找到了

more than 20,000 previously hidden Operation Legacy files

超過兩萬份先前被藏匿的 遺產行動檔案所在，

from 37 former colonies.

這些檔案來個三十七個 先前的殖民地。

Finally, an estimated 1.2 million colonial files,

最後，還揭露出檔案庫中的「特藏」

sprawling kilometers in the archive’s so-called “Special Collections,”

尚有一百二十萬份殖民檔案， 擺出來可橫跨數公里。

were also exposed.

And these were only the documents that British forces kept.

這些還只是英國軍隊保存的文件。

How many were destroyed— and what information they contained—

有多少文件被摧毀—— 以及它們內有什麼資訊——

remains unknown.

仍然是個謎。

About 3.5 tons of colonial documents were slated for incineration in Kenya.

在肯亞，有約三點五公噸的 殖民文件被標記要焚毀。

Ultimately, Operation Legacy’s objective was to obscure critical aspects

遺產行動的最終目標是要 掩蓋真相的關鍵面向。

of the truth.

In the words of Britain’s attorney-general in Kenya,

引用肯亞的英國司法部長的話：

“If we are going to sin, we must sin quietly.”

「如果我們要犯罪， 就要靜悄悄地犯罪。」

So, what really happened in Kenya?

所以，在肯亞到底發生了什麼事？

Beginning in 1895, the British administration forcibly removed people

從 1895 年開始，

英國政府強迫人民 離開他們的傳統土地，

from their traditional lands,

giving the most fertile areas to European settlers to establish large-scale farms.

將最肥沃的地區讓給歐洲 殖民者，建立大型農場。

They mandated forced labor systems,

他們強制實施勞役制度，

implemented reservations for Indigenous African peoples,

針對非洲原住民設立 保留區，限制他們的行動。

and restricted their movement.

Kenyan people resisted these incursions from the start

肯亞人打從一開始 就抵抗這些入侵行動，

and grew increasingly organized over time.

隨時間，變得越來越有組織。

One movement, the Kenya Land and Freedom Army,

有一項運動叫 「肯亞土地及自由軍」，

aimed to forcibly remove white settlers and overthrow the colonial government.

旨在強制驅逐白人殖民者 並推翻殖民政府。

When the British declared a state of emergency in 1952,

英國在 1952 年宣佈緊急狀態，

they were giving themselves permission to take otherwise illegal special measures

允許自己採取本來不能採取的

特殊非法手段來奪回掌控權。

to regain control.

The newly revealed Operation Legacy documents

新揭露出來的遺產行動文件證實了

confirmed that people suspected of participating in the resistance

被懷疑參與抵抗的人

were subjected to horrible abuses.

受到了可怕的虐待。

Between 1952 and 1959,

1952 年到 1959 年間，

the British imprisoned over 80,000 people without trial,

英國未經審判就監禁了超過八萬人，

sentenced over 1,000 people convicted as terrorists to death,

將超過一千人視為 恐怖分子判處死刑，

and imposed extreme surveillance and interrogation tactics.

還實施了很極端的監視和審問戰略。

Some people were beaten to death.

有些人活活被打死，

Others were raped or castrated.

也有人被強暴或閹割。

Many were shackled at the wrist for years.

許多人被上了手銬，長達數年。

Children were killed.

孩童也被殺害。

One person was burnt alive.

有個人被活活燒死。

Ndiku Mutwiwa Mutua testified to being castrated while handcuffed

恩迪古‧姆土威瓦‧木托瓦

作證說他在被矇住眼睛 銬上手銬的情況下遭到閹割。

and blindfolded.

Wambugu Wa Nyingi said he was suspended upside-down, beaten,

汪布古‧瓦‧尼吉說他被倒掛著，

and had water thrown on his face until he could barely breathe.

被毒打，臉上被澆水 直到他幾乎無法呼吸。

Jane Muthoni Mara said she was sexually violated with a hot bottle,

珍‧姆松尼‧馬拉說 她被用熱瓶子性侵，

and imprisoned for years without cause.

且被無故監禁數年。

In response to the new evidence,

英國政府對新證據的回應 是做出官方正式道歉，

the British government issued a formal apology,

and made an out-of-court financial settlement

並達成法庭外和解，

with the 5,228 Kenyan claimants ultimately involved in the case.

和解對象包括與這件案子相關的 五千兩百二十八位肯亞索賠者。

The original five claimants had made history—

原始的五位索賠者寫下了歷史——

and paved the way for it to be rightfully rewritten.

並為重寫歷史舖路。

The uncovered files challenge fundamental myths about British colonialism

被揭露出來的檔案 挑戰了英國的殖民神話：

as a benevolent institution that brought freedom and democracy to its subjects,

它是個帶給其臣民 自由和民主的慈善制度，

then graciously gave them independence.

接著還會親切地讓他們獨立。

Instead, the newly exposed evidence confirms what many people knew to be true,

反之，新揭露的證據證實了許多 親身經歷的人所知道的真相，

because they lived it—

and survived to rescue history from the ashes.

這些人存活下來， 將歷史從灰燼中救出來。