Zimbabwe's 2008 elections were marred by the widespread rape of political opponents by President Robert Mugabe's supporters, according to a report released by an HIV/AIDS advocacy group on Thursday.

 
Mugabe was outpolled by bitter rival Morgan Tsvangirai in a first round presidential vote, as his ZANU-PF party lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence in 1980. Mugabe, however, secured re-election in a controversial run-off poll after Tsvangirai pulled out citing violence against his supporters.
 
Tsvangirai's MDC party says about 200 of its supporters were killed in politically motivated violence.
 
The report prepared by AIDS-Free World says Mugabe's supporters, including youth militia and some veterans of Zimbabwe's 1970s independence war, "committed widespread, systematic rape in 2008 to terrorize the political opposition."
 
Officials from Mugabe's ZANU-PF, who routinely deny allegations that the party has sanctioned the use of violence in election campaigns, were not immediately available to comment.
 
Source: Reuters.