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T he H onor abl e J a m e s D a l e T odd, 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 T e nne s s e e , s i tt i ng byde 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 H A RPA L SI N G H ; G U RD EV K A U R; RAJ W AN T S I NG H; AM AN PR ET K A U R , P et i t i o n ers, v. E R I C 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- 71703 A ge nc yN os . A 098- 151- 097

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# FI LED OC T 13 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

C o n v e n tio n A g a in s t T o rtu r e ( “C A T ” ) . W e h a v e ju r is d ic tio n p u r s u a n t to 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 5 2 . We d e n yth e p e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w. A n a l i e n m a ybe gr a nt e d a s y l um “ i f the S e c r e t a ryof

H om e l a nd S e c ur i tyor the A tt orne yG e ne r a l de t e rm i ne s tha ts uc h a l i e n i s ar e f uge e w i thi n the m e a ni ng of [8 U . S . C . ] sect i o n 1 1 0 1 (a)(4 2 )(A ). ” 8 U . S . C . § 1 1 5 8 (b )(1 )(A ). A refu g ee i s a pers on w ho i s unw i l l i ng t o return t o h i s c ou ntrybecause “ of pers ec ut i on or a w el l -fo u n d ed fear o f p ersecu t i o n o n acco u n to f race, rel i g i o n , n at i o n al i ty, me mb e r s h i p i n ap a rt i c u l a rs o c i a l g r o u p , o rp o l i t i c a l o p i n i o n . ” 8 U . S. C § 11 01 (a )( 42 )( A ). If a p et i t i o n er fo r asyl u m o r w i th h o l d i n g o f rem o v al est ab l i sh es p ast pe r s e c ut i on on apr ot e c t e d gr ound, a s i n the pr e s e ntc a s e , the r e i s apr e s um pt i on th a t th e p e titio n e r ’s lif

e o rf r e e d o m w o u ldb e th r e a te n e du p o n h is r e tu rn to h is h o m e c o u n try . See 8 C . F . R . § 1 20 8. 16 (b)( 1)(i ). T hi s pre sum pt i on can b e r ebutt ed i f the go vernm entes t abl i shes by a pre po nd er ance of the evi dence thatthere has be e n af unda m e nt a l c ha nge i n c i r c um s t anc e s i n the hom e c ountrys uc h tha tthe p e titio n e r ’s lif

e o rf r e e d o m w o u ldn o t b e th r e a te n e do rth a t th e p e titio n e rc o u ld s a f e lyr e lo c a te to a n o th e rp a rt o f th e c o u n try . See 8 C .F .R . § 1 2 0 8 .1 6 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( i) - ( ii) . T he panel re vi ew s the B IA ’ s f ac tual det erm i nat i on s and i t s dec i si on denyi ng an3

a s y lu m ap p lic a tio n u n d e rth e s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e s ta n d a r d . I N S v . E l i as - Zac ar i as , 50 2 U . S . 47 8, 48 1 (19 92 ). S i ng h con t ends thatthe B IA erre d i n fi nd i ng thatthe pres um pt i on of future p e r s e c u tio n a g a in s t h im w a s r e b u tte db yc h a n g e dc o u n tryc o n d itio n s . I n o r d e rto f in d c h a n g e d c o n d itio n s , th e B I A w a s r e q u ir e dto id e n tif ys p e c if ic im p r o v e m e n ts i n In d i a’ s co n d i t i o n s o ccu rri n g aft er S i n g h ’ s p ersecu t i o n an dl i n kth o se im p r o v e m e n ts to S in g h a n d h is ab ilityto r e tu rn . See R io s v . A s h c r o ft , 287 F . 3d 895, 901 ( 9th C i r . 2002) . T he B I A i de nt i f i e d the f ol l ow i ng i m pr ove m e nt s : ( 1) p eo p l e w h o w ere n o th i g h p ro fi l e m i l i t ary su sp ect s, su ch as S i n g h , w ere n o tatri sk in P u n jab ; ( 2 ) f r o m 1 9 9 6 to 2 0 0 4 th e A k a li D a l h a ds u c c e s s f u llyp a rtic ip a te din el ec t i on s, a S i kh had b ee n sw orn i n as P ri m e M i ni st er , and the P re si denthad att ended a pro-K hal i st an ra l l y; and (3) hu m an ri gh t s abu se s i n the P un j ab di sc usse d i n the m ostre ce ntS t at e D epartm entcoun tryre po rt s des cr i bed event s thathad occurre d i n the past . G i ven these si gn i fi cantchanges, subst ant i al evi dence supp ort s the B IA ’ s f

i nd i ng thatS i ng h d i d n othave a re as on abl e f ear of f uture p e r s e c u tio n if

h e r e tu rn e d to I n d ia . T he appl i c a t i on f

orw i thhol di ng of

r e m ova l a l s o w a s pr ope r l yde ni e d, a s the c ha nge i n c ountryc i r c um s t a nc e w a s s uc h tha tS i ngh’ s l i f e orf r e e dom w oul d notbe thr e a t e ne d on a c c ountof a nypr ot e c t e d gr ound. A s f orthe C A T c l a i m , be c aus e of4

th e c h a n g e d c o n d itio n s in I n d ia , th e r e c o r dd o e s n o t c o m p e l th e c o n c lu s io n th a t it is m o r e lik e lyth a n n o t th a t S in g h w o u ldb e to rtu r e dif h e is r e m o v e dto I n d ia . See N u ru v. G on zales , 4 0 4 F .3 d 1 2 0 7 , 1 2 1 7 - 1 8 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) . S u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e s u p p o rts th e B I A ’s f in d in g th a t H a rp a l S in g h a n dh is f a m i l ya r e note l i gi bl e f

ora s y l um , w i thhol di ng of r e m ova l t o I ndi a , orpr ot e c t i on u n d e rth e r e g u la tio n s im p le m e n tin g th e C o n v e n tio n A g a in s t T o rtu r e . P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.