A United Nations diplomat who was arrested having been accused of rape by one of his neighbors has been released without charge because his status provides him diplomatic immunity and renders him free from prosecution.
Charles Dickens Imene Oliha, 46, a career diplomat for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in South Sudan was arrested on Sunday following an alleged sexual assault in upper Manhattan.
The alleged attack is said to have occurred around lunchtime in the same building where Oliha resides.
“He was arrested on suspicion of rape and questioned by police but once detectives from the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit learned of his immunity he was released without charge,” the publication said.
Oliha was released by New York Police Department (NYPD) officers after they were informed of his diplomatic immunity that comes from his role at the United Nations.
The victim told police how she was walking her dog around noon when she was approached by a man in the lobby of her building, reports the New York Post.
“The man is alleged to have told the woman he was going to follow her upstairs to which she responded ‘No, you’re not’,” the report said. “The alleged assault is said to have occurred around lunchtime on Sunday. The suspect persisted and as she opened the door to her apartment, the man forced his way inside and pinned her against the wall.”
Police said the woman was raped twice, once with a condom and then again for a second time without using one.
According to the report, after the assault, the woman was in shock and went to sleep, only filing a report after a friend convinced her to go to the police.
The victim was then taken to Columbia University Medical Center for medical attention.
Almost 12 hours later, Oliha was arrested but police were forced to release him a short time later after learning of his residency status.
“The fact that diplomatic immunity takes precedence over justice for the survivor of this sexual assault is incomprehensible. We join with all survivors in demanding accountability and a complete investigation of this incident,” said Liz Roberts, CEO, Safe Horizon to DailyMail.com.
Oliha worked at the United Nations in New York City, pictured above
There was a similar reaction from Jane Manning, the director of the Women’s Equal Justice project and a former sex-crimes prosecutor.
“It is incredibly disturbing that someone who is accused of rape cannot be held accountable no matter what the facts. I hope that the NYPD detectives will still do a full and thorough investigation to establish what the evidence shows,” she said.
The deputy permanent representative for the embassy of South Sudan, Cecilia Adeng told The Post they were ‘not aware’ of Oliha’s alleged crimes.
“This is not something that’s tolerable at all. We’ll be reporting to our headquarters and seeing what’s going on,” she said.