The University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to withdraw an honorary law doctorate that was awarded in 1986 to President Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

When the degree was presented, Mr. Mugabe was perceived in many Western countries as an anticolonial freedom fighter; at the UMass convocation where he received the degree, he spoke out against apartheid. However, in recent years he has become more known for the food shortages and ruinous inflation that have plagued his country, and for the brutal tactics he has employed against opposition leaders.

“Robert Mugabe’s transgressions have led the world community to condemn his government’s assault on human rights and on the rule of law,” said the UMass president, Jack M. Wilson, in a news release. “Robert Mugabe’s actions compel the University of Massachusetts to take action.”

The board’s decision to rescind the degree followed a student petition filed a year ago, and a state lawmaker’s vow this spring to push for action.

In the past several years, the Universities of Michigan at Ann Arbor and of Edinburgh have also rescinded honorary degrees awarded to Mr. Mugabe. —Ingrid Norton