birth_date: 1927-01-01 00:00:00
avg_rating: 3.65
name: Ian Henderson
about: Ian Stuart McWalter Henderson (1927 – April 13, 2013) was a British citizen known for his role in resolving the Mau Mau crisis in Kenya in the late 1950's, and for managing the Bahraini General Directorate for State Security Investigations from 1966 - 1998. Henderson was dubbed the "Butcher of Bahrain" due to torture and the numerous human rights violations that were alleged to have taken place under his command there, especially during 1990's uprising in Bahrain.Henderson was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1927 but grew up among the Kikuyu in Kenya and lived most of his life overseas. He served as a Colonial Police Officer in Kenya during the 1950's and was famed for his role in capturing Mau Mau rebel leader Dedan Kimathi, about whic Ian Stuart McWalter Henderson (1927 – April 13, 2013) was a British citizen known for his role in resolving the Mau Mau crisis in Kenya in the late 1950's, and for managing the Bahraini General Directorate for State Security Investigations from 1966 - 1998. Henderson was dubbed the "Butcher of Bahrain" due to torture and the numerous human rights violations that were alleged to have taken place under his command there, especially during 1990's uprising in Bahrain.Henderson was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1927 but grew up among the Kikuyu in Kenya and lived most of his life overseas. He served as a Colonial Police Officer in Kenya during the 1950's and was famed for his role in capturing Mau Mau rebel leader Dedan Kimathi, about which he wrote the book Man Hunt in Kenya (1958). In 1954, Henderson was awarded the George Medal, the 2nd-highest award for bravery not in combat, and later a bar to the George Medal, for suppressing the Mau Mau uprising. "Ian Henderson has probably done more than any single individual to bring the Emergency to an end" wrote General Sir Gerald Lathbury when he left Kenya in 1957.After Kenya gained its independence, Henderson was deported from Kenya and moved to Bahrain. He was employed as the head of the General Directorate for State Security Investigations in Bahrain for some 30 years, retiring from his position in 1998. He was accused of complicity in torture during the 1990's uprising in Bahrain, leading to an investigation by British authorities in 2000. The investigation was concluded in 2001 and no charges were filed, despite thorough documentation by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of the torture. He always denied any involvement in torture, 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.While the chief of the Bahrain police, Ian Henderson personally interviewed North Korean agent Kim Hyon-hui and her accomplice Kim Seung-il. The pair had travelled to Bahrain posing as Japanese tourists after planting a bomb on Korean Air Flight 858. Henderson managed to prevent Hyon-hui from taking a cyanide pill secreted in a cigarette she was carrying.Ian Henderson was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with the OBE (1984), George Medal (1954) (and Bar (1955)), and the King's Police and Fire Services Medal (1953). 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), The Order of Bahrain (Wisam al-Bahrein) 1st Class (1983), and The Medal of Military Merit (Wissam al-Khidmat al-Askari) 1st Class (1982).Ian Henderson died on April 13, 2013 at the age of 86. ...more
death_date: 2013-04-13 00:00:00