Rwanda's Female Presidential Candidate Latest Victim of Nude Photo Leak

"I will be tackling poverty, I will be tackling injustice, I will be tackling insecurity," she said during a speech on May 3 announcing her candidacy against Rwandan president Paul Kagame, who has been in power since 2000. "In the last 23 years [the ruling party Rwandan Patriotic Front] has been in power, they have not been able, not only to eradicate poverty but even to give Rwandans the minimum. Most Rwandans are dying of hunger, they have nowhere to live."

Two days later, Rwigara, who's been highly critical of the ruling party in Rwanda, appeared to become the victim of revenge porn. Photos that seem to show her posing nude and smiling surfaced in Ugandan groups on Whatsapp on Friday. According to one media outlet, it's unknown who released the images, which have since been widely shared by blogs and websites in Kenya and Nigeria.

One user who shared the photos wrote, in part: "No one is willing to entrust our society in hands of those that may promote immorality because apart from us a people there's an Almighty God someone Who detest such act. Imagine some persons wouldn't mind to support homosexuality, armed robbery and prostitution all in the name of freedom of expression and association."

But the attack hasn't deterred Rwigara in her quest to bring positive change to the country. A video posted on her Facebook page yesterday showed her leaving the office of the National Electoral Commission. When someone off camera asked her to address the "cyber harassment," she said that she would release a press statement on Friday with more information on "those malicious attacks."

But, she added, "I will not stop. I'm going on with more focus and more strength and… I'm hoping I will win this upcoming election."

Afroditi Pina is a senior lecturer in forensic psychology at Kent University in the UK who recently authored a study on personality traits associated with revenge porn, also known as image-based sexual abuse. She says that while most people are familiar with nude photo scandals impacting celebrities, in particular female celebrities, she's not surprised that the same medium would be used for political tactics.

"Political candidates have historically faced personal scrutiny from the media when putting themselves forward for positions within governments," she tells Broadly. "It is common for aspects of their personal history to be brought to light if it is felt that it would be relevant, either negatively or positively. Social media has made such scrutiny easier and quicker in some cases."

Pina speculates that the motive behind the leaked photos in Rwigara's case was "to create a political scandal that would denote a moral transgression that people would disapprove of" and ultimately damage her reputation.

"Although I am not a political psychologist or researcher and I don't know what the political ramifications to her campaign would be," she continues, "I nevertheless think it sends a strong message of resilience and resistance on her part in the face of a personal attack."