By Sebastien Berger, Southern Africa Correspondent - President Robert Mugabe's supporters have been accused of using rape as a political weapon against the opposition during the election in Zimbabwe last year.

A report by an American charity documents 380 politically motivated rapes committed by 241 individuals across all of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces.

Aids-Free World, which is led by the former United Nations envoy on Aids, Stephen Lewis, said that those behind the attacks on supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change had even set up central facilities where several women could be gang-raped simultaneously.
 
Campaigners painted a harrowing picture based on interviews with 72 survivors and witnesses. The perpetrators allegedly included members of the Zanu-PF youth militia, and so-called "war veterans" loyal to Mr Mugabe.

In some cases women were held at Zanu-PF supporters' bases and were violated in the same room as others, the report said.

"The room was large, with many other women MDC members and Zanu-PF men inside," a woman from Harare told campaigners. "All three of them were rough when they raped me. Around the room there were other men raping other girls. All the men in that room were either raping or waiting to rape women."

At least nine of the women interviewed believe they were infected with HIV when they were raped. A 23-year-old in Masvingo said her attackers told her: "You say [MDC leader Morgan] Tsvangirai is good. We want you to know that Tsvangirai is not good. We want to give you diseases and see if Tsvangirai will take care of your children."

In other cases family members, even young girls, were also targeted. A woman from the capital said: "When the tenth man finished raping me they said they were going to rape my daughter. I cried out but I could not even stand up at this time.

"After they finished with me, they raped my daughter when I was there and I couldn't do anything to stop them. My daughter was five years old."

Mr Mugabe and Zanu-PF have consistently denied responsibility for the violence that took place in Zimbabwe last year. They now share power with the MDC.

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