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. 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 NO R A N AR OY AN , 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 yG e n e r a l, R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 06- 72632 A ge nc yN o. A 098- 522- 807 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 A pr i l 11, 2011 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: D . W . N E L S O N , B Y B E E , an d M . S M IT H , C i rcu i tJu d g es. N ora N ar oyan (“N ar oyan” or “ pet i t i on er ”) pet i t i on s f or re vi ew of the B oard o f I mmi g r a t i o n A p p e a l s ’ ( “ BI A ” ) d e n i a l o f h e rap p l i c a t i o n s f

o ra s y l u m, w ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l, a n d r 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 ” ) . T he B I A a f

f i rm e d the I m m i gr a t i on J udge ’ s ( “ I J ” ) de ni a l of a s y l um a nd w i thhol di ng of

r e m ova l on the ba s i s of a n a dve r s e c r e di bi l i tyde t e rm i na t i on a nd



# FI LED APR25 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

foun d thatN ar oyan di d n otdi sput e the IJ ’ s deni al of her C A T cl ai m . T hi s C ou rt has j uri sdi ct i on pu rs uantt o 8 U . S . C . § 1 25 2(a) (1). W e grantN ar oyan’ s pet i t i on as t o asy l um and w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al and d i sm i ss the pet i t i on as t o rel i ef un der C A T . T hi s C ou rtre vi ew s a dv er se cr edi bi l i ty det erm i nat i on s f or subst ant i al e v id e n c e . G u iv . I

NS , 2 8 0 F .3 d 1 2 1 7 , 1 2 2 5 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) ( c ita tio n o m itte d ) . U nd erthi s s t andard, the B IA ’ s det erm i nat i on s are t o b e uph el d i f they are s u p p o rte d b y “r e a s o n ab le , s u b s ta n tia l a n d p r o b a tiv e e v id e n c e ” in th e r e c o r d . Kum ar v. G on zales , 4 4 4 F .3 d 1 0 4 3 , 1 0 4 9 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) ( c ita tio n s o m itte d ) . B ec ause the B IA “ cond uct ed i t s ow n revi ew of the evi dence and l aw ra ther than s i m pl y a dopt i ng the i m m i gr a t i on j udge ’ s de c i s i on . . . ourr e vi e w i s l i m i t e d t o the B IA ’ s dec i si on , exce ptt o the ext entthe IJ ’ s opi ni on i s e xp re ss l y a do pt ed. ” H osse i niv. G on zales , 47 1 F . 3d 95 3, 95 7 (9th C i r. 20 06 ) ( ci t at i on and i nt ernal q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) . In thi s c as e, the B IA po i nt ed t o three supp osed i ncon si st enci es i n the re cord tha ts upport e d i t s a dve r s e c r e di bi l i tyde t e rm i na t i on: ( 1) N a r oy a n t e s t i f i e d tha ts he w a s be a t e n by thr e e a s s a i l a nt s on M a y17, 2004, butthe B I A f ound tha ts he di d not m ent i on thi s “ i m po rt anti nci dent ” i n h erw ri tt en appl i ca t i on ; (2) N ar oyan t es t i fi ed tha ts e ve r a l pe opl e w e r e a rr e s t e d a tapol i t i c a l r a l l yon A pr i l 12, 2004, be tw e e n the3

ho urs of 6pm and 7 pm , bu t , w hen con fr on t ed w i th a new s r eporti nd i ca t i ng that a rr e s t s t ook pl a c e a t2a m on A pr i l 13, N a r oy a n t ol d the a s y l um of f i c e rtha tthe new s r eportw as i ncorrec tand then t es t i fi ed before the IJthatshe had on l y a ss um ed a rr e s t s ha d t a ke n pl a c e dur i ng the e a r l ye ve ni ng hour s ; a nd ( 3) the m e di c a l r e c or ds r e ga r di ng the i nj ur i e s N a r oy a n s us t a i ne d i n the M a r c h 16, 2000 pol i c e be a t i ng i ndi c a t e tha ts he s uf

f e r e d f r om a“ thor a x i nj ury ” a nd a“ l e f tha nd i nj ury , ” butthe B IA cl ai m s thatN ar oyan al so cl ai m ed t o h ave s ust ai ned a concussi on and an ear i nj ury. N on e of these grou nd s c on st i tut es subst ant i al evi dence. T he B I A ’ s f

i r s tf i ndi ng i s s i m pl yi nc orr e c t . N a r oy a n’ s a s y l um appl i c a t i on d idm en ti o n th e a tt ac ko n M ay 1 7 , 2 0 0 4 . E v en if th e B IA fo u n d th at N ar o ya n ’s w r itte n ap p lic a tio n d id n o t m e n tio n th a t s h e r e c o g n iz e d o n e o f h e ra s s a ila n ts , th is s t i l l w oul d notc ons t i tut e s ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e , be c aus e i ti s w e l l s e tt l e d i n the N in th C ir c u it th a t “a n ap p lic a n t’s te s tim o n yis n o t p e rs e la c k in g in c r e d ib ility si m pl y bec ause i ti ncl ud es det ai l s thatar e notse tforth i n the as yl um appl i ca t i on . ” Lo p ez - Re y e s v . I NS , 79 F . 3d 908, 911 ( 9th C i r . 1996) ( c i t i ng Ag u i le r a - Co ta v . I NS , 91 4 F . 2d 13 75 , 13 82 (9th C i r. 19 90 )) . T he s e c ond a nd thi r d gr ounds c i t e d bythe B I A a r e a tm os t“ [ m ] i nor i ncon si st enci es i n the re cord thatdo no tre l at e t o the basi s of [ N ar oyan’ s] al l eged f e a rof pe r s e c ut i on, go t o the he a rtof the a s y l um c l a i m , orr e ve a l a ny thi ng about4

[her ] fe arfor [ her] sa fe ty. ” Me n do z a M a n im b a o v . A s h c r o

ft , 329 F . 3d 655, 660 ( 9th C i r . 2003) ( c i t a t i ons om i tt e d) . W he the rN a r oy a n w i tne s s e d a rr e s t s orm i nor ski rm i shes betw ee n p rot es t ors and po l i ce on the eveni ng of A pri l 12 , 20 04 , before the m a s s a rr e s t s a ta r ound 2a m on A pr i l 13, he rt e s t i m ony w a s noti nc ons i s t e nton thi s i ss ue. E ven ass um i ng N ar oyan’ s t es t i m on y w as i ncon si st ent , w e f ai l t o see ho w thi s i ncon si st encygo es t o the heartof N ar oyan’ s a sy l um cl ai m gi ven that N a r o y a n w a s m e r e lyp r e s e n t f o ras h o rt p e r io d o f

tim e a t th e r a lly , d id n o t a c tiv e ly part i ci pat e i n the ra l l y, and d i d n otsuff erany r eper cuss i on s bec ause of her pres ence there . S i m i l ar l y, du ri ng her t es t i m on y bef ore the IJ , N ar oyan cl ar i fi ed w hi ch i nj uri es had b ee n sust ai ned d uri ng the M ar ch 20 00 po l i ce beat i ng and w hi ch i nj uri es w er e s ust ai ned i n N ov em ber 200 3. A ny om i ss i on s i n h erm edi ca l re po rt a r e n o t in c o n s is te n t w ith h e rte s tim o n y . Se e S in g h v . A s h c r o ft , 301 F . 3d 1109, 11 12 -13 (9th C i r. 20 02 ). B e c au s e th e B I A ’s th r e e f in d in g s in s u p p o rt o f

its a d v e r s e c r e d ib ility det erm i nat i on w er e notsupp ort ed by subst ant i al evi dence, w e r ever se that de t e rm i na t i on a nd r e m a nd t o the a ge nc yt o c ons i de rw he the rN a r oy a n, now c ons i de r e d c r e di bl e , ha s e s t abl i s he d e l i gi bi l i tyf ora s y l um a nd w i thhol di ng of r e m o v a l.5

W e d is m is s th e p e titio n f o rr e v ie w w ith r e s p e c t to N a r o y a n ’s C A T c la im b e c au s e th i s c l a i m wa s n o te x h au s t e d b e f o r e th e B I A. F i na l l y , N a r oy a n’ s r e que s tf orj udi c i a l not i c e of

he rpe ndi ng I - 130 appl i c a t i on i s gr a nt e d. P e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w GR AN T E D in p a rt, DI S MI S S E D i n pa rt , a nd R EM A N D ED to th e B I A f o rf u rth e rp r o c e e d in g s . E a c h p a rtys h a ll b e a rits o w n c o s ts o n ap p e a l.