Prof. Larocque and Students Contribute to Report on Mugabe’s “Vicious” Campaign
Professor François Larocque, alumna Megan Kendall (LL.L. ’08, LL.B. ’09) and National Program student Juliette Yip (LL.L. ’09) have contributed to a report by AIDS-Free World revealing that supporters of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe launched a campaign of rape and torture during last year’s national elections.Former Canadian politician and diplomat Stephen Lewis, who now heads AIDS-Free World, says the “vicious” campaign sought to intimidate supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The team from uOttawa was one of many teams of lawyers contributing to the report, Electing to Rape: Sexual Terror in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.
Prof. Larocque and his team researched international criminal justice as it relates to Africa in an effort to find legal arguments demonstrating that President Mugabe is legally responsible for the sexual terrors. AIDS-Free World is urging the international community to take action against President Mugabe, something Prof. Larocque suggests is possible, “but how that would play out politically,” he says, “I don’t know.”
President Mugabe, now 85, has been in power in Zimbabwe for almost 30 years. He refused to relinquish power to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai last year after evidently failing to win re-election. Tsvangirai refused the offer of a run-off election because of the threat of violence against his supporters. Tsvangirai now serves as prime minister in Mugabe’s government.
Click here to see the AIDS-Free World report.