Saudi diplomat flees India after being accused of serially raping his maids

An Indian woman protests diplomatic immunity for Majed Hassan Ashoor.
(Image credit: MONEY SHARMA/AFP/Getty Images)

A Saudi diplomat accused of serially raping two maids in his home near New Delhi, India, fled the country on Wednesday under cover of diplomatic immunity.

India took the unusual step of naming the diplomat Majed Hassan Ashoor, the first secretary at the Saudi embassy, in a statement late on Wednesday announcing his departure.The statement said Ashoor was protected under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which grants diplomats immunity from arrest, criminal prosecution, and civil lawsuits when they are posted overseas. [Reuters]

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.