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Strauss-Kahn’s accuser thanks supporters

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Summary of story from DNAinfo, July 28, 2011

Nafissatou Diallo, the maid who surrendered her right to anonymity after she accused the former head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, of sexually assaulting her (see WVoN coverage), has thanked her supporters at a Brooklyn church.

“What happened to me, I don’t want to happen to any other woman,” said the 32-year-old Guinean immigrant, who appeared to be overcome at times as she spoke at the Christian Cultural Center.

In her first public appearance since the alleged incident, Diallo explained what it was like to live under constant scrutiny.

“Me and my family, we are going through a lot,” she said. “We’re crying every day. We can’t sleep.”

She said that her daughter told her: “‘Please mom, stop crying. Be strong for me.’ And I told her I’m going to be strong for you and every other woman in the world.”

Among the most upsetting aspects of the case, Diallo said, is the backlash and the accusations that have been levelled against her (see WVoN story).

“I am here because a lot of people call me bad names,” she said during the brief appearance, wearing a black blazer and white button-down shirt. “A lot of things they say about me is not true.

“I’m asking, ‘God, why me.'”

Prosecutors challenged Diallo’s credibility in a note to defence attorneys earlier this month, saying that she lied about aspects of her background and was inconsistent in her accounts of the events at the Sofitel (see WVoN story).

“People say her credibility is an issue, but what about Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s credibility?” asked Diallo’s laywer, Kenneth Thompson, who said he plans to file a civil suit “soon.”

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