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# FI LED APR06 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

A m a n o v ’s ap p lic a tio n f o ra s y lu m , h u m a n ita r ia n a s y lu m , w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l, a nd r e l i e f

unde rthe U ni t e d N a t i ons C onve nt i on A ga i ns tT ortur e ( C A T ) . W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on unde r8 U . S . C . § 1252. W e de nythe pe t i t i on. A m anov ’ s c on st i tut i on al ar gu m entl ac ks m er i t . T he R E A L ID A ct“ i m po se d a h eig h ten ed stan d ar d o f r ev iew re q u irin g th at [th e C o u rt] rev er se an ag en cy ’s det erm i nat i on concerni ng the avai l abi l i ty of c orrobo ra t i ve evi dence onl y i f a r e a s onabl e tr i e rof

f a c tw oul d be c om pe l l e d t o c onc l ude tha ts uc h c orr obor a t i ng evi dence i s unavai l abl e. ” Sh restha v. H older , 59 0 F . 3d 10 34 , 10 47 -48 (9th C i r. 20 10 ) ( ci t i ng 8 U . S . C . § 1 25 2(b)(4)). T he st andard i m po se d i s the sam e one o th e rw is e ap p lie d to r e v ie w o f f in d in g s o f

f a c t. See 8 U . S . C . § 1 25 2(b)(4)(B). It d o e s n o t p r e c lu d e r e v ie w o f c o n s titu tio n a l q u e s tio n s a n d q u e s tio n s o f la w r a is e d in d e p o rta tio n p r o c e e d in g s , se e 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 5 2 ( a ) ( 2 ) ( D ) ; cf . IN S v. St . C yr , 5 3 3 U . S. 289, 304- 05 ( 2001) , nordoe s i tl i m i tr e vi e w of w he the rape r s on i n de port a t i on p r o c e e d in g s is aU .S . c itiz e n o rn a tio n a l, aju r is d ic tio n a l f a c t, se e N

g Fun g Ho v. W h ite , 259 U . S . 276, 284 ( 1922) . I ns t e a d, thi s c ha nge t o “ the s t a nda r ds gove rni ng corr ob orat i ng evi dence” “ w as w i thi n C on gres s’ s pow ert o m ake. ” Shr e s tha , 590 F .3 d a t 1 0 4 8 . T h e r e f

o r e , A m a n o v ’s c o n s titu tio n a l c la im m u s t f a il. T h e I Jp r o p e r lyd e n ie d A m a n o v ’s a s y lu m c la im b e c au s e A m a n o v f a ile d to pr ovi de c orr obor a t i on w he r e i tw a s r e a s onabl e f orthe I Jt o e xpe c thi m t o do s o a nd3

th e I Jd id n o t k n o w w h a t to b e lie v e . See A den v. H older , 5 8 9 F .3 d 1 0 4 0 , 1 0 4 5 ( 9 th C i r. 20 09 ); 8 U .S .C . § 1 1 5 8 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( B ) ( ii) . A m a n o v d id n o t in tr o d u c e ab irth c e rtif ic a te o ro th e rc o rr o b o r a tio n , s u c h a s s ta te m e n ts f r o m f a m ily , to s u p p o rt h is c la im th a t h e w a s A rm e n ia n . N o rd id h e in tr o d u c e a n yc o rr o b o r a tio n f o rh is c la im thatA rm eni ans w er e t ar get ed for pers ec ut i on i n U zbeki st an. A m anov had n ot i ce of the need for such docum ent s, and h i s e xp l anat i on for thei r absence w as i nsuffi ci entt o con vi nce the IJthatthey w er e unavai l abl e. S ub st ant i al evi dence supp ort s the B IA ’ s c on cl usi on thatA m anov di d n otpres entcorr ob orat i ng evi dence f orthi s port i on of

hi s c l a i m , s o “ ar e a s onabl e tr i e rof f a c t ” w oul d notbe

“ com pel l ed t o con cl ud e thatsuch corr ob orat i ng evi dence [w as ] un avai l abl e. ” 8 U . S . C . § 1 25 2(b)(4). A m a nov di d nots how tha the i s e l i gi bl e f ortr a di t i ona l a s y l um , s o he di d not d e m o n s tr a te e lig ib ilityf o rh u m a n ita r ia n a s y lu m e ith e r . Se e B e lis h ta v . A s h c r o ft , 37 8 F . 3d 10 78 , 10 81 (9th C i r. 20 04 ) ( st at i ng thathu m ani t ar i an as yl um re qu i re s

“ ( 1) ‘ c om pe l l i ng r e a s ons f orbe i ng unw i l l i ng orunabl e t o r e turn [ hom e ] a r i s i ng out o f th e s e v e r ityo f

th e p a s t p e r s e c u tio n ,’ o r[ th a t th e r e is ] ( 2 ) ‘ar e a s o n ab le p o s s ib ilityth a t [ th e ap p lic a n t]. . . m a ys u f f e ro th e rs e r io u s h a rm u p o n r e m o v a l to [ h is ] c o u n try ’” ( q u o tin g 8 C .F .R . § 1 2 0 8 .1 3 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( iii) ) ) .4

B e c au s e A m a n o v c a n n o t s a tis f yth e lo w e rb u r d e n o f

p r o o f f o ra s y lu m d u e to hi s l ac k o f c orrobo ra t i on , he neces sari l y c anno tm ee tthe m ore s tri ng entst andard ap p lic ab le to w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l, s e e Fa r a h v . A s h c r o ft , 348 F . 3d 1153, 1156 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) , to w h ic h ac o rr o b o r a tio n r e q u ir e m e n t a ls o ap p lie s , se e 8 U . S. C. § 12 29 a( c) (4)( B ). A m anov do es no tqu al i fyfor r el i ef un der C A T because he has no tprov ed tha the i s m or e l i ke l y tha n notgoi ng t o be t ortur e d “ byora tthe i ns t i ga t i on of or w i th the consentor ac qu i es ce nce of a publ i c off i ci al or other pers on ac t i ng i n an o f f ic ia l c ap a c ity .” 8 C .F .R . § 1 2 0 8 .1 8 ( a ) ( 1 ) ; A den , 589 F . 3d a t1047. T he I Jf ound w i th res pectt o the as yl um cl ai m thatA m anov shou l d h ave c orrobo ra t ed the att ac k a g a in s t h im b u t h a d n o t, a n d th is f in d in g w a s r e le v a n t to th e C A T c la im a s w e ll. See 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 2 9 a ( c ) ( 4 ) ( B ) . B ecau se th e B IA h el d o n th e m eri t s th atco rro b o rat i o n o f th e att ackag ai n st A m a nov w a s notuna va i l abl e a tthe t i m e of the he a r i ng, i tdi d note rri n de ny i ng the M o tio n to R e o p e n o n th e s a m e b a s is . See 8 C . F . R . § 1 00 3. 2(c) (1). DE NI E D.