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 by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2).

T he H onor abl e T hom a s S . Z i l l y , S e ni orU ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge ** * f orthe W e s t e rn D i s tr i c tof W a s hi ngt on, 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 D A R S H A N K A U R ; e t a l., P et i t i o n ers, v. I MM I GR AT I ON AN D NA TURALI ZATI ON SE RVI CE , R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 01- 71948 A ge nc yN os . A 072- 401- 927

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# FI LED MA R 18 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSA n i m m i gr a t i on j udge ( “ I J ” ) de ni e d P e t i t i one r s ’ appl i c a t i ons f ora s y l um a nd w ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l. T h e B o a r d o f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls ( “B I A ” ) a f f irm e d . T hi s C ourtha s j ur i s di c t i on pur s ua ntt o 8 U . S . C . § 1252, a nd w e de nythe pe t i t i on f o rr e v i e w. L ea d P et i t i on erD ar shan K aur a l l eges thather pol i t i ca l l y a ct i ve brother w as a rr e s te d a n d k ille d b yP u n jab i p o lic e o f

f ic e r s , a n d th a t th e p o lic e th r e a te n e d to h arm h er an d h er fam i l y o n ce th ey h ad al l eg ed m i sco n d u ct . B ecau se o f th ese threa t s and addi t i on al threa t s by S i kh m i l i t ant s, P et i t i on er s c l ai m t o fear p e r s e c u tio n if

th e yr e tu rn to I n d ia . A s apr e l i m i na rym a tt e r , the B I A di d notde nyP e t i t i one r s due pr oc e s s by c onc l udi ng tha tthe yha d note s t abl i s he d pa s tpe r s e c ut i on. T he I Je xpr e s s l yf ound thatK aur had no tsuff

i ci ent l y e st abl i shed pastpers ec ut i on or a w el l -f ou nd ed fe ar o f p e r s e c u tio n , an d th e B I A a f f irm e d o n b o th o f

th o s e g r o u n d s . A f

a ilu r e to est ab l i sh p astp ersecu t i o n w as th erefo re o n e b asi s fo r th e d en i al o f P et i t i o n ers’ c la im s , a n d th e yk n e w o rs h o u ld h a v e k n o w n th a t th e B I A c o u ld a f f irm , a t le a s t in pa rt , on tha tgr ound. S ub st ant i al evi dence s up po rt s the B IA ’ s det erm i nat i on thatP et i t i on er s had nots uf f e r e d pa s tpe r s e c ut i on. K aurt e s t i f i e d tha the rf

a m i l yw a s “ ha r a s s e d” by po l i ce offi ce rs on three or four occas i on s i n o rdert o con vi nce them t o w i thd raw c o m p la in ts o v e rh e rb r o th e r ’s d e a th . S h e a ls o te s tif ie d th a t S ik h m ilita n tsa tte m p te d to r e c ru it h e rf a m ilyto a v e n g e h e rb r o th e r ’s d e a th a n d th a t th e m ilita n ts th r e a te n e d h a rm if

th e yr e f u s e d . S u c h th r e a ts b yth e m s e lv e s d o n o t c o m p e l a f in d in g o f p a s t p e r s e c u tio n . Li m v . I NS , 22 4 F . 3d 92 9, 93 6 (9th C i r. 20 00 ). S ub st ant i al evi dence al so supp ort s the B IA ’ s det erm i nat i on thatP et i t i on er s di d notha ve aw e l l - f

ounde d f e a rof pe r s e c ut i on by the pol i c e orS i kh m i l i t a nt s on a c c o u n t o f

p o litic a l o p in io n . Sa n g h a v . I NS , 1 0 3 F .3 d 1 4 8 2 , 1 4 8 7 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 7 ) . K aur’ s brother w as al l egedl y arr es t ed because he w as suspec t ed of ki l l i ng a pol i ce o ff iceran d k il led fo r try in g to es cap e, an d th e p o li ce alleg ed ly h ar as se d K au r’s f a m i l y f ol l ow i ng the l odgi ng of ac om pl a i ntove rhe rbr othe r ’ s de a th. A l though K aurt e s t i f

i e d tha ts he w a s am e m be rof the A l l I ndi aS i kh S tude ntF e de r a t i on, there i s no evi dence thatthe po l i ce w er e aw ar e of herpo l i t i ca l ac t i vi ty or t ar get ed he rf ora nyr e a s on othe rtha n t o pr ot e c tthe i row n r e put a t i on. T he r e i s a l s o no e v id e n c e th a t th e S ik h m ilita n ts ta r g e te d K au r ’s f a m ilyf o ra n yr e a s o n o th e rth a n to f u rth e rth e iro w n a g e n d a . Se e I N S v . E l i as - Zac ar i as , 502 U . S . 478, 482- 483 (199 2). A lth o u g h K au r ’s te s tim o n y w a s d e e m e d c r e d ib le , it w a s n o t s u f f ic ie n tly det ai l ed or pers uasi ve t o com pel a f i nd i ng of a w el l -f

ou nd ed fe arof future p e r s e c u tio n . Se e La dh a v . I NS , 215 F . 3d 889, 901 n. 12 ( 9th C i r . 2000) ( “ [ S ] om e t i m e s the f

a c t s , c r e di bl yt e s t i f

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or e t o be true , w i l l not cover al l el em ent s of the as yl um or w i thh ol di ng cl ai m needed t o j ust i fyre l i ef . ”) .H erdesc ri pt i on of the nu m ber and nature of the threa t s l od ged agai nsther w as

e x tr e m e lyv a g u e , a n d h e ra s y lu m ap p lic a tio n is r id d le d w ith in c o n s is te n c ie s . P et i t i on er s c l ai m a s ubj ec t i ve fe arof arre stand t orture, bu tthere i s l i tt l e e vi dence th a t s u c h f

e a ris o b je c tiv e lyr e a s o n ab le . L a s tly , w e d e c lin e to r e m a n d to th e B I A to c o n s id e rP e titio n e r s ’ e lig ib ility f o rr e lie f u n d e rth e C o n v e n tio n A g a in s t T o rtu r e ( “C A T ” ) . A f te rth e I Jis s u e d its deci si on , bu tbefore the B IA rul ed on P et i t i on er s’ appeal , the U ni t ed S t at es im p le m e n te d A rtic le 3 o f C A T . See P u b . L . N o . 1 0 5 - 2 7 7 , D iv . G ., T itle X X I I , § 2242, 112 S t a t . 2681, 2681- 822 ( 1998) . H ow e ve r , P e t i t i one r s ne ve rf i l e d am ot i on to r e o p e n w ith th e B I A o rth e I Jto c o n s id e rth e irC A T c la im . Kh o u r a s s a n yv . I NS , 20 8 F . 3d 10 96 , 11 00 (9th C i r. 20 00 ). F or the foregoi ng re as on s, w e DE NY th e p e titio n f o rr e v ie w .