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Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe has been awarded China’s equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize. According to organisers, he won the prize for his “national leadership and service to pan-Africanism” and for “injecting fresh energy” into the global quest for harmony.
The 91-year-old received the Confucius trophy despite what some describe as a “brutal repression” to his people during his 35 years in power, with no clear successor.
Nine Chinese experts and scholars made the decision to award Mugabe the honour, just one month after he addressed the UN and shouted “We are not gays” before denouncing “attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions, and beliefs.”
During the 2013 elections in Zimbabwe, Mugabe also used the spectre of same-sex marriage to rally support against his opponent, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.