7 White Farmers Charged in Zimbabwe; 27 Others Held
HARARE, Zimbabwe — The Zimbabwean government filed charges Friday against seven white farmers who defied orders to leave their land, and it detained at least 27 others, farming leaders said.
Dozens of others were told that they would be required to appear in court soon, the leaders said.
The move was the first coordinated government action against hundreds of the 2,900 white farmers who defied orders to leave their land by midnight Aug. 8.
Under its land reform program, the government of President Robert Mugabe has targeted for confiscation 95% of the properties owned by about 4,000 white farmers.
It says the seizures are a final effort to correct colonial-era imbalances in landownership by giving white-owned farms to blacks.
Five of the farmers charged with violating the seizure laws were freed on bail; the other two were freed without bail. They could face jail terms of up to two years.
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