Supporters rally for survivor as DSK rape charges dropped

Police barricades held back angry protesters as a smiling Dominique Strauss-Kahn, escorted by privately hired security and city police, entered the New York State Supreme Court on Aug. 23, where charges against him for sexual assault were dropped.

Members of the corporate media, including foreign press, and their camera crews lined the courthouse steps and sat under rows of tents across the street, as a helicopter circled overhead. Public access to the courtroom was restricted.

The crowd held signs and shouted, “DSK is guilty!” and “DSK, shame on you!” They showed solidarity with Nafissatou Diallo — who accused Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her — by chanting, “We are Diallo, and she is us!” and “Women united will never be defeated!”

Diallo’s supporters expressed their anger at Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who requested the dropping of the charges, and demanded his resignation. They were outraged that Diallo was violated twice, once by DSK on May 14 and again by the district attorney.

Vance submitted a 25-page document to the court which recommended that the indictment of Strauss-Kahn be dismissed. He contended that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him, and also said that Diallo lacked enough credibility to be put on the stand.

The hearing lasted only 15 minutes before Judge Michael Obus granted the dismissal of all charges, with a 30-day stay in order to give Diallo’s lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, time requested to try to obtain assignment of a special prosecutor to the case. The judge denied Thompson’s motion requesting that Vance be disqualified.

An appellate judge denied Thompson’s appeal of the judge’s decision.

Diallo is a 33-year-old hotel housekeeper from Guinea. Strauss-Kahn is a 62-year-old millionaire with international power and prestige. He was the director of the International Monetary Fund and a former French presidential candidate. In France, he is known as being abusive to women.

The Strauss-Kahn rape case is a convergence of gender, class, race, privilege, entitlement and wealth. It’s also about imperialist domination. The IMF’s economic programs are responsible for the forced migration of hundreds of millions of people from poor countries seeking work overseas, and for putting those countries in trillions of dollars of debt. The IMF has a history of ravaging countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere. As such, this capitalist institution owes reparations not only to Guinea, but also to all of Africa for plundering the continent.

Since there was well-founded, sufficient evidence for the grand jury to indict Strauss-Kahn, that evidence should have been sufficient for the case to go to trial. There, the jury could establish whether the witness is credible. Additionally, it is very unusual for a district attorney to destroy his own case.

Well-known pattern of injustice

Interestingly, a witness’s credibility apparently is not an issue when prosecutors use the testimony of organized crime figures to convict others. It’s not an issue when alleged rapists are convicted with only circumstantial evidence, or when the victim can’t identify the perpetrator, or is unwilling to take the stand and testify. (The Central Park jogger case is an example.)

Diallo admits she made misstatements on her immigration application for asylum. However, here as in other cases involving sexual assault, the victim’s background should not be admissible in court.

Reportedly, DSK’s legal team even went to Guinea offering money for testimony regarding Diallo’s character, but could find no one who spoke negatively of her.

A smear campaign by officials and the pro-corporate media has served to damage and defame Diallo, resulting in a miscarriage of justice for her. Questions have been raised regarding apparent leaks from the district attorney’s office to the New York Times about Diallo’s bank account, cell phone records, her asylum application and the divulgence of private grand jury evidence.

Diallo’s case follows a pattern. White men have historically raped Black women for hundreds of years. However, the last documented case of a white man being convicted and jailed for such a criminal act was more than 200 years ago, says Michael Greys, member of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, who have been among Diallo’s main supporters. In contrast, Black men are routinely imprisoned every day without “sufficient evidence” for whatever crime they’re convicted of committing.

Where does this case go from here? Following the hearing, Strauss-Kahn’s passport was returned to him; he is free to return to France. Yet the state may deport Diallo and her daughter.

Diallo will pursue her civil suit against Strauss-Kahn for economic compensation. She is waiting to hear if New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will appoint a special prosecutor in her case, as her attorney requested.

Diallo must be commended for her courage in coming forth and fighting back. Pursuing her case and obtaining justice will require that the strong community support for Diallo continue and that mass pressure is put on Cuomo and other elected government officials.