N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
SHIC HEN LIU,

Pe t i tione r,
v. M ATTHEW

G. W H ITAKER , Ac t ing Attorne y Ge ne ra l, R e sponde nt. No. 16-70910 Age n c y No. A089-887-901
M EM O R ANDUM *

On Pe tition for Re vie w of a n Orde r of the B oa rd of Im m igration Appe a ls Argue d an d Subm i tte d De c e m be r 5, 2018 Pa sa de n a , C a l ifornia B e fore : O’ SC A

N NLAIN a nd IKUTA, C irc uit Judge s, a nd STEEH, ** Distric t Judge
. 

# F IL ED DEC 21 2018 M OLLY C. DW Y E R, CLERK U. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public a t ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.

* * The Honora

ble Ge orge C ara m

Ste e h III, Unite d State s Distric t Judge for the Ea ste rn Distric t of M ic higa n, sitting by

de signa tion.Shic he n Liu, a native and c itiz e n of C hina , pe titions for re vie w of a n orde r of the B o ard of Im

m igration Appe a ls de ny ing his a p plic a tion for a sy lum
. 1 B e c a use the fa c ts a

re known to the

pa rtie s, we re pe a t the m

only a s ne c e ssa

ry to e xpla in our de c ision. I Substa ntia l e v i de nc e supports the B oa rd’ s c onc lusion tha

t Liu wa s not
m istre a t e d on a c c o unt of politic a l opinion. Liu a dm itte d tha

t he wa s a rre s te d for phy sic a lly

atta c king polic e offic e rs whe n the y arrive d to bre ak up a

group prote st,
and tha t during his dete ntion hewa s a c c u se d of disturbing the soc i a l orde r— a punisha ble offe nse in C hina . Liu a lso c onc e de s tha t not a ll prote ste rs we re
arre ste d, le nding furthe r support to the B oa rd’ s c onc lusion tha

t Liu’ s de te ntion wa s
m otiva t e d by his re sista

nc e to polic e a

uthority , not the c onte nt of his de m onstra

tion. Liu ide ntifie s a

n insta nc e during his de te ntion whe re offic e rs a c c use d him of be ing “ antipa

rty , antigove rnm e nt,” and a rgue s tha t this im pute d a ntigove rnm e nt opinion wa s a

c e ntra l re a son for his mistre a tm e nt. The re c ord doe s not c om pe l

1 Liu doe s not a

rgue for re vie w of tha

t pa rt of the B oa

rd’ s de c ision de ny ing his a pplic a tions for withholding of re m ova l a nd re lie f unde r the C onve ntion Aga inst Torture . The argum e nt is the re fore wa ive d
. Se e Ming Xin He v . Holde r , 749 F.3d 792, 795 n.1 (9th C i r. 2014). 2suc h

a c o nc lusion. Although the offic e rs’ a c c usation m ight sugge st tha t the y we re
m otiva t e d i n part by

an im pute d antigove rnm e nt politic a l opinion, it is not c le ar that the im pute d politic a l opinion wa s a c e ntral re ason for Liu’ s m istre a tm e nt. The
a c c usation oc c urre d only

onc e , during a se c ond inte rrogation, a m id othe r
a lle gations tha

t Liu ha d disrupte d soc ia l orde r. The re c ord thus doe s not re ve a l a
c a usa l c onne c tion be twe e n Liu’ s im pute d politic a l opinion a

nd a ny of the
m istre a t m e nt he c l a im s to ha

ve suffe re d. C

f. Parussimov

a v . Muk ase y , 555 F.3d 734, 742 (9th C ir. 2009) (holding tha t a solita ry re fe re nc e to pe titione r’ s e thnic ity did not c om

pe l the c onc lusion tha

t she wa s pe rse c ute d on a c c ount of a prote c te d ground in light of pe

rse c utors’ othe r, non-e thnic a l ly -c h arge d re m arks). Liu urge s us to re a c h a diffe re nt c onc lusion ba se d on Song v . Se s sions , 882 F.3d 837 (9th C ir. 2017), but the c a se is distinguisha

ble ba se d on the nature of Song’ s a c tivitie s a

nd how theC hine s e gove rnm e nt pe rc e ive d the m .

II Substa ntia l e v i de nc e a lso supports the B oa rd’ s c onc l usion tha

t Liu’ s
m istre a t m e nt, whilepe rha

ps ha rsh, did not rise

to the le ve l of pe rse c ution. Se e Gu
v . Gonzale

s , 454 F.3d 1014, 1018 (9th C ir. 2006) (holding tha t pe titione r fa ile d to show pe rse c ution e ve n though he ha d be e n de ta ine d for se ve ra l da

y s, inte rrogate d, be a te n with a

rod, a nd re quire d to re port we e kly to the polic e sta

tion).
3PE T IT IO N FO R RE V IE WDE NIE D.

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