Court condemns Zimbabwe land seizures

The Supreme Court in Zimbabwe has issued its most sweeping condemnation of the government's controversial programme of land redistribution, declaring it unconstitutional.

The court said it was clear the government was unwilling to carry out sustainable land reform under the terms of its own laws.

It said white farmers and their workers were being denied protection when facing violence and intimidation during the occupations of hundreds of white-owned properties.

President Mugabe has repeatedly stated that no court decision will prevent his government from continuing to seize and resettle black people on white-owned farms.

The president says the measures are needed to correct a historic injustice. The court had been asked to rule on the issue by the Commercial Farmers' Union, which represents some four thousand mainly-white farmers.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service