JUSTICE IN ZIMBABWE 95 ____________________________________________________________________ Meanwhile the government-controlled news media published statements which can only have exacerbated an already explosive situation, and which clearly presupposed the accused persons were guilty. Thus the Herald stated: “Twenty-two white commercial farmers armed with logs, sticks and batons ganged up on Monday and brutally attacked defenceless resettled farmers at Liston Shield Farm in Chinhoyi”.150 The newspaper went on to quote extensively an account given by one of the farm invaders, a Mr Darlington Chasara. Mr Chasara later gave evidence at the trial of the arrested farmers and, like the other State witnesses, was disbelieved. The Herald and other government-controlled newspapers further exacerbated the situation when reporting the widespread looting of farms that took place in the area later in August. On 16 August, for example, the Herald published a story which accused white farmers of initiating the violence at the behest of Western imperial forces, primarily Britain, and concluded, without any evidence, that the British High Commission to Zimbabwe had been implicated in the looting as part of a plot to justify international intervention. The article also tried to underscore the theory that white farmers and their workers were working in cahoots as part of a wider campaign to tarnish the image of government, on the assumption that the workers would not loot their bosses’ property since they had always “stuck by the side of their ‘baas’…” The treatment of the accused while they were in custody was degrading and illegal. One of the accused, who was 72 years old, collapsed during the bail hearing and was taken to Chinhoyi Hospital where he was detained. While there he was kept in legirons. All the accused had their heads shaved and were required to wear prison uniform, contrary to the provisions of the Prisons (General) Regulations, 1996. 151 The trial of the 24 accused began eight months later, on 23 April 2002. At the outset the prosecution withdrew charges against six of the accused, and withdrew charges against another one during the trial. At the close of the State case charges were withdrawn against a further seven. The prosecution led evidence from 22 invaders who were present when the alleged assaults took place. Their evidence reads very badly, as can be seen from this example from the first witness, a leader of the invaders: