The British government will pay a total settlement of £1.0 million (1.1 million euros, $1.3 million) to 33 Cypriots who had brought claims of mistreatment in detention during the campaign to end British rule on the island.
Junior foreign minister Alan Duncan said in a written statement to parliament late on Wednesday that the payments related to the so-called "Emergency" period in the former British colony between 1955 and 1959.
"The government has now reached an agreement with the claimants," he said, noting however that the settlement "does not constitute any admission of liability".
"The passage of time means that it is now no longer possible to establish all of the facts with certainty," he said.
"It is a matter of regret for the UK government that the transition of Cyprus from British administration to independence should have been preceded by five years of violence and loss of life," he added.
The Greek Cypriots in the case had made claims of torture and human rights abuses at the hands of colonial forces.
Some of them were former members of Eoka, the Greek Cypriot nationalist guerrilla organisation that fought British rule.
Kevin Conroy, the lead solicitor for the claimants, said: "My faith in the clients and in the team I put together to assist the claimants has been vindicated".
The claimants launched their legal battle in 2015.
London, United Kingdom | AFP
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