A Sudanese man raped a woman in New York, but he will not be harmed because he is protected by diplomatic immunity

A United Nations diplomat was accused of raping a woman in Upper Manhattan over the weekend. But the NYPD released him because he has diplomatic immunity. New York Post.

Charles Dickens Imane Oliha, 46, a career diplomat with South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, was arrested on Sunday (August 21) on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her apartment.

According to the police, Olikh was taken into custody on suspicion of rape and taken for questioning.

But once he told detectives he was a diplomat, investigators checked to see if he had diplomatic immunity and quickly released the Sudanese without formally charging him.

The victim, who lives in the same building as Oliha, told police that around noon she went to walk the neighbor's dog. A man approached her in the lobby. He said he was going to follow the woman upstairs, to which she replied, "No."

raped twice

The man nevertheless followed her upstairs, and as soon as the woman opened the door to her apartment, the suspect burst inside.

The woman reported that the attacker pinned her against the wall and raped her using a condom. And then he raped her again on the couch, without a condom.

The victim said she was in shock after the attack and fell asleep. But she later called 911 after a friend convinced her to file a police report. She was taken to Columbia University Medical Center for medical treatment.

According to police, Olikh was arrested almost 12 hours after the attack. But he was soon released due to diplomatic immunity.

On the subject: New Yorker served 25 years for rape he did not commit

The attack took place inside a building on Wadsworth Terrace in Fort George, where Oliha lives.

“It is incredibly worrying that a rapist accused of rape cannot be prosecuted,” said Jane Manning, director of the Equal Justice for Women Project and a former sex offenders prosecutor.

“I hope that NYPD detectives will still conduct a full and thorough investigation to establish what the evidence suggests,” she added.

Olikha could not be contacted for comment. Cecilia Adeng, Deputy Resident Representative of the South Sudan Embassy in the US, said: “We are not aware of this incident. I just tried to reach him (Olikha) before calling you, but he did not answer.”

She said that her boss is currently out of the office. And that the embassy will receive more comments when he returns.

What is diplomatic immunity and how far can a diplomat go?

According to the US State Department, the concept of diplomatic immunity dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times. Then it was granted to envoys as a special status.

In 1790, the United States passed its own legislation. It granted absolute immunity to diplomats, their families and servants. Since then, there have been many attempts to change the law in order to significantly reduce the amount of immunity and the number of people who can receive it.

“The United States is greatly benefiting from this concept. After all, it protects American diplomats assigned to countries with judicial systems that are very different from ours, ”the agency said in a statement.

The Department recognizes that dealing with the concept of immunity poses challenges for law enforcement. After all, they are not accustomed to granting special privileges or benefits to persons who violate the law.

The State Department adds: “Diplomatic immunity is not intended to serve as an indulgence for individuals who break the law and intentionally avoid responsibility for their actions.”

But in reality, it turns out exactly the way it should not be. For example, Martiniano Sosa was allowed to go free after he beat a UN official, just because he is the husband of an Argentine diplomat.

Sosa doused Mutaz Hissat with a drink and punched him in the face during a 2018 party at the Cuban embassy in Midtown.

According to sources, Sosa was granted diplomatic immunity by his wife, Argentine Ambassador Natalia Babio. Therefore, no criminal charges were brought against him. It is unclear if Sosa ever faced any repercussions from this incident.