According to a statement issued by Liston Abramson LLP, the law firm that represented the complainant, the jury found that Gasana raped their client and awarded her $5 million in damages.
Gasana previously served as Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and also held the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council.
The case was filed by a Rwandan woman who was 21 years old at the time of the alleged incidents. She was working as a summer intern when Gasana was serving as Rwanda’s representative to the UN.
According to the lawsuit cited by the New York Post in 2019, the woman alleged that Gasana assaulted her twice between June and July 2014. The report said Gasana first invited her to the Millennium Hilton Hotel, or One UN Plaza, for dinner before allegedly persuading her to go upstairs to what appeared to be a meeting room but turned out to have a bedroom behind it.
The woman alleged that Gasana raped her in that room. The New York Post reported that she did not immediately report the incident because she was afraid Gasana could harm her or take action against her family in Rwanda. The report further said Gasana allegedly assaulted her again weeks later, on 11 July 2014.
In its statement, Liston Abramson LLP said the case required years of litigation and “extraordinary courage” from the complainant. The firm said she faced not only the trauma of the abuse, but also what evidence at trial showed were efforts by the defense to publicly attack her credibility and reputation and intimidate potential witnesses.
“No verdict can erase the harm she has suffered,” the law firm said. “But this verdict sends a clear message: even powerful individuals can be held accountable.”
Gasana left his position as Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in August 2016.
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