Ian Stuart McWalter Henderson, also known as Ian Stewart McWalter Henderson,CBE, GM &Bar, KPM (1927 – 13 April 2013)[1] was a British citizen known for his role in resolving theMau Mau crisis inKenya in the late 1950s and for managing theBahraini General Directorate for State Security Investigations from 1966 to 1998. Henderson was dubbed the"Butcher of Bahrain" due totorture and the numerous human rights violations that were alleged to have taken place under his command there, especially during the1990s uprising in Bahrain.[2][3]
Henderson was born inAberdeenshire,Scotland, in 1927 but grew up among theKikuyu in Kenya and lived most of his life overseas.[4] He served as a Colonial Police Officer in Kenya during the 1950s and was famed for his role in capturing Mau Mau rebel leaderDedan Kimathi, about which he wrote the book,The Hunt for Kimathi,[5] also published under the titleMan Hunt in Kenya byDoubleday.[6] In 1954 Henderson was awarded theGeorge Medal,[7] the second-highest award for bravery not in combat, and later a bar to the George Medal,[8] for suppressing theMau Mau uprising. "Ian Henderson has probably done more than any single individual to bring the Emergency to an end", wrote General SirGerald Lathbury when he left Kenya in 1957.[9]
Afterindependence, he was deported from Kenya and moved toBahrain. He was employed as the head of theGeneral Directorate for State Security Investigations in Bahrain for some 30 years, retiring from his position in February 1998.[10] He was accused of complicity intorture during the period of protracted social unrest of1990s uprising in Bahrain, leading to an investigation by British authorities in 2000.[11] The investigation was concluded in August 2001 and no charges were filed, despite thorough documentation byAmnesty International andHuman Rights Watch of the torture.[12] He always denied any involvement intorture, despite the release of the documentary "Blind Eye to the Butcher" which contains evidence and interviews with the disfigured torture victims who identify Ian Henderson.[4]
While chief of the Bahrain police, Ian Henderson personally interviewedNorth Korean agentKim Hyon-hui and her accomplice Kim Seung-il. The pair had travelled to Bahrain posing as Japanese tourists after planting a bomb onKorean Air Flight 858. Henderson managed to prevent Hyon-hui from taking acyanide pill secreted in a cigarette she was carrying.[13]
Ian Henderson was honoured byQueen Elizabeth II with theOBE (1984),[14]George Medal (1954)[7] (andBar (1955))[8] and theKing's Police and Fire Services Medal (1953).[15] He was honoured by Government of Bahrain with The Order of Shaikh 'Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa (Wisam al-Shaikh 'Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa) Exceptional Class (2000),[16] The Order of Bahrain (Wisam al-Bahrein) 1st Class (1983)[17] and The Medal of Military Merit (Wissam al-Khidmat al-Askari) 1st Class (1982).[18]
Ian Henderson's character was played byGeorge Kennedy in the 1990 Korean filmMayumi, portraying his interrogation ofKim Hyon-hui.
Ian Henderson died on 13 April 2013 at the age of 86.[1]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
