T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he H on orabl e L i am O ’ G ra dy, D i stri ctJudg e f or the U . S . D i stri ct ** C ourtf orE a s t e rn V i r gi ni a , A l e xa ndr i a , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on.

NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T AV T ARS I NG H, P et i t i on er , v. E R I C H . H O L D E R , J r ., A tto rn e y G e n e r a l, R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 07- 71934 A ge nc y N o. A 096- 158- 476 ME MOR AN DU M *

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the B o a r d o f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d M a y 10, 2011 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B ef ore: G O O D W IN and P A E Z , C i rc ui tJudg es , and O ’ G R A D Y , D i stri ctJudg e. ** A vt a rS i ngh ( “ S i ngh” ) , ana t i ve a nd c i t i z e n of I ndi a , pe t i t i ons f

orr e vi e w of the B oard of Im m i grat i on A pp ea l s’ (“ B IA ”) order di sm i ss i ng hi s app ea l fr om an i mmi g r a t i o n j u d g e ’ s ( “ I J ” ) d e c i s i o n d e n y i n g h i s ap p l i c a t i o n f o ra s y l u m, w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al and p rot ec t i on un der the C on vent i on A gai nstT orture 

# FI LED MA Y27 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

(“ C A T ”) . W e have j uri sdi ct i on un der 8 U . S . C . § 1 25 2. W e r evi ew for s ub st ant i al e v id e n c e th e B I A ’s d e n ia l o f a s y lu m , w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l, a n d C A T r e lie f . A hm ed v. Keisler , 504 F . 3d 1183, 1191 ( 9th C i r . 2007) . W e gr a nti n pa rta nd de ny i n pa rtthe pe t i t i on f

orr e vi e w , a nd w e r e m a nd. W e m us ta c c e ptthe B I A ’ s a dve r s e c r e di bi l i ty f i ndi ng “ a s l ong a s one of the i dent i fi ed grou nd s und er l yi ng the cr edi bi l i ty f i nd i ng i s s up po rt ed by subst ant i al evi dence and go es t o the heartof [S i ng h’ s] cl ai m s. ” Ki n v. H older , 595 F . 3d 1050, 1 0 5 5 (9 th C i r. 2 0 1 0 ). T h e B IA fo u n d S i n g h n o tcred i b l e fo r sev eral reaso n s, i ncl ud i ng i ncon si st enci es betw ee n S i ng h’ s t es t i m on y and do cum ent ary e vi dence r e ga r di ng hi s r e a s ons f

orl e a vi ng I ndi a , a nd f

orhi s f a i l ur e t o r e s pond t o que s t i ons abou tthese i ncon si st enci es . B ec ause S i ng h’ s r ea sons for depart i ng Indi a are c e ntr a l t o hi s a s y l um c l a i m , w e c onc l ude tha tthe s e di s c r e pa nc i e s go t o the he a rtof S in g h ’s c la im . See Si ng h v. G on zales , 4 3 9 F .3 d 1 1 0 0 , 1 1 0 8 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) ; se e a l s o Ch e b c h o u b v . I

NS , 25 7 F . 3d 10 38 , 10 43 (9th C i r. 20 01 ) ( fi nd i ng thatan advers e c re di bi l i ty det erm i nat i on i s s up po rt ed i n p artbase d o n i ncon si st enci es re l at i ng t o the event s l ea di ng up t o p et i t i on er ’ s departure) . A l tho ug h S i ng h w as a f f or de d a n opportuni ty t o e xpl a i n the di s c r e pa nc i e s i n the e vi de nc e , he f a i l e d t o do so . W e th erefo re co n cl u d e th atsu b st an t i al ev i d en ce su p p o rt s th e IJ’ s ad v erse c r e d ib ilityf

in d in g .3

W i thoutc r e di bl e t e s t i m ony tha te s t abl i s he d aw e l l - f ounde d f e a rof p e r s e c u tio n , S in g h ’s a s y lu m c la im f a ils . Se e Me

j i a –Pa i zv . I NS , 111 F . 3d 720, 724 ( 9th C i r . 1997) . S i ngh a l s o f a i l s t o m e e tthe hi ghe rs t a nda r d of e l i gi bi l i ty f

or w ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l. Se e Fa r a h v . A s h c r o ft , 34 8 F . 3d 11 53 , 11 56 (9th C i r. 20 03 ). A lth o u g h th e I J ’s d e te rm in a tio n a n d th e B I A ’s a f f irm a n c e w e r e p r o p e ra s to the deni al of S i ng h’ s app l i ca t i on for a sy l um and w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al , the deni al o f C AT r e l i e f

d i d n o tc o m p l y wi th o u re x i s t i n g c a s e l a w. An I J m a y n o td e n y C AT r e lie f s o le ly o n th e b a s is o f

a n a d v e r s e c r e d ib ilityd e te rm in a tio n m a d e in c o n n e c tio n w ith a n a s y lu m a s s e s s m e n t w h e n th e r e is o th e rr e c o r d e v id e n c e th a t is a va i l abl e t o a s s e s s w he the ri ti s m or e l i ke l y tha n nottha tthe pe t i t i one rw i l l be to rtu r e d if

r e tu rn e d to h is h o m e c o u n try . Se e Ka m a l th a s v . I NS , 251 F . 3d 1279, 1284 ( 9th C i r . 2001) . W e ha ve he l d tha t , by c ontr a s t , “ pr ope ra tt e nt i on t o r e l e va nt c ountry c ondi t i ons m i ghtl e nd c r e de nc e t o . . . a s s e rt i ons of t ortur e a nd c aus e the B IA t o v i ew them i n a di ff er entl i gh t . ” I

d. I n de ny i ng C A T r e l i e f

, the I J pr ovi de d onl y c ur s ory a na l y s i s . W e c a nnot co n cl u d e th atC A T rel i ef w as d en i ed fo r reaso n s b eyo n d m ere ad v erse cred i b i l i ty. I n th e c o n te x t o f

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be consi dere d , in c lu d in g , b u t n o t lim ite d to : . . . [e] vi den ce o f g ro ss, f lagr ant orm as s v i olat i ons of

hum an r i

ght s w i thi n the c ountr

y of r e m ov al; and [ o] the rr e le v ant

i nf orm at i on r egardi ng c ondi t i ons i n the c ountr y of r e m ov al . ” I

d. at12 82 (quo t i ng 8 C . F . R . § 2 08 . 16 (c )( 2) and (3) (200 0) (e m ph as i s i n o ri gi nal )) . B ec ause the IJ ’ s dec i si on do es no tshow thatshe c on si dere d the do cum ent ary e vi de nc e s ubm i tt e d by S i ngh, S i ngh’ s C A T c l a i m i s r e m a nde d f orthe B I A t o gi ve pr ope rw e i ghta nd c ons i de r a t i on t o e vi de nc e of the r e l e va ntc ountry c ondi t i ons c o n ta in e d in th e r e c o r d . Se e I d. a t1284. P E T I T I ON F ORR E VI E W DE NI E D i n p a rt ; GR AN T E D i n p a rt ; R E MAND E D. E a c h s id e s h a ll b e a rits o w n c o s ts o n ap p e a l.