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).

Th e H o n o r ab l e So l o mo n O l i v e r , J r . , Ch i e f D i s tr i c tJu d g e f

o rth e U . S. ** * D i s tr i c tC ourtf

orN orthe rn O hi o, C l e ve l a nd, 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 G H E O R G H E L A P U S T E ; M A R IA MANU E L A B OG DA NE S C U, P et i t i o n ers, 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. 07- 73834 A ge nc yN os . A 072- 398- 516

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o rn ia B ef ore: T H O M A S and N . R . S M IT H , C i rc ui tJudg es , and O L IV E R , C hi ef D i stri ct Judg e. *** 

# FI LED SEP 16 2011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS- 2-

G heorgh e L apust e and M ar i a B og danesc u, nat i ves and ci t i ze ns of R om ani a, pet i t i on for r evi ew of a deci si on by the B oard of Im m i grat i on A pp ea l s ( “ B IA ”) d e n y in g th e irr e q u e s t f

o rh u m a n ita r ia n a s y lu m . W e d e n yth e p e titio n f o rr e v ie w . B e c au s e th e p a rtie s a r e f a m ilia rw ith th e h is to ryo f th e c a s e , w e n e e dn o t r e c o u n t it here . H um ani t ar i an as yl um m aybe grant ed w here a pet i t i on erhas s uffe re d

“ atroci ou s f

orm s of per se cut i on , ” Ke b e de v . A s h c r o ft , 36 6 F . 3d 80 8, 81 2 (9th C i r. 2 0 0 4 ) ( c ita tio n a n din te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) ; M at terof Chen , 2 0 I . & N . D e c . 16, 19 ( B I A 1989) , but“ ha s be e n r e s e rve d f orr a r e s i tua t i ons . . . w he r e the a l i e n e s t abl i s he s tha t , r e ga r dl e s s of a nythr e a tof

f utur e pe r s e c ut i on, the c i r c um s t a nc e s s urr oundi ng the pa s tpe r s e c ut i on w e r e s o unus ua l a nd s e ve r e tha the i s unabl e t o return t o h i s hom e c ou ntry , ” Vo n gs a kd yv . I NS , 171 F . 3d 1203, 1205 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 9 ) . T h e B I A c o n c lu d e dth a t, a lth o u g h L ap u s te h a ds u f f e r e dp e r s e c u tio n , h is e xpe r i e nc e s w e r e not“ c om pa r abl e i n s e ve r i ty ” t o thos e i n V ongs akdya nd Chen . It concl ud ed thathi s e xp er i ence s w er e m ore l i ke M a r c u v . I NS , 1 4 7 F .3 d1 0 7 8 ( 9 th C i r . 1998) , i n w hi c h w e de ni e d r e l i e f t o aR om a ni a n appl i c a nt( l i ke L apus t e ) w ho w a s de nounc e d a s a n “ e ne m yof the pe opl e , ” de t a i ne d, i nt e rr oga t e d, a nd be a t e n by p o lic e o n m u ltip le o c c a s io n s . I d. a t 1 0 8 0 .- 3-

A re vi ew of the adm i ni stra t i ve re cord do es no tcom pel the concl usi on that th e B I A e rr e din its a n a ly s is . T h e B I A c o m p a r e dL ap u s te ’s m is tr e a tm e n t to th a t in Chen , a s it m u s t. Lo

p ez - G a la r

z a v . I NS , 9 9 F .3 d9 5 4 , 9 6 3 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 6 ) . S ub st ant i al evi dence s up po rt s the B IA ’ s observat i on s thatL apust e provi ded v a ry in g te s tim o n yab o u t h is in ju r ie s a n dth e m e d ic a l a s s is ta n c e h e s o u g h t, a s w e ll a s th a t, u p o n o b ta in in g atru c kd r iv in g lic e n s e , h e d idn o t p u r s u e w o rka s ad r iv e r . T h e B I A p r o p e r lyap p lie dc ir c u it c a s e la w in r e v ie w in g L ap u s te ’s c la im , a n dits d is c u s s io n ap p e a r s s u f

f ic ie n t f o rp u rp o s e s o f

ju d ic ia l r e v ie w . See M arcu , 147 F . 3d a t 1 0 8 2 ( “A lth o u g h w e r e q u ir e m o r e th a n am e r e c o m m e n t f r o m th e B I A , a ll th a t is ne c e s s a ryi s ade c i s i on tha ts e t s outt e rm s s uf f i c i e ntt o e nabl e us a s ar e vi e w i ng c ourtt o s e e tha tthe B oa r d ha s he a r d, c ons i de r e d, a nd de c i de d. ” ( c i t a t i on a nd i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed)) . L ap u s te a ls o r e q u e s ts ar e m a n d , c o n te n d in g th a t th e B I A d idn o t p e rm it a d d itio n a l a r g u m e n t o rb r ie f in g p r io rto is s u in g its d e c is io n . H o w e v e r , th e B I A d id i s s u e an e w b r i e f

i n g s c h e d u l e o n r e m a n d , wh i c h i tm a i l e dt o L ap u s t e ’ s l a s tk n o wn a ddr e s s . F urthe r , L apus t e of f e r s no ne w e vi de nc e ora r gum e nttha ti ndi c a t e s the B IA ’ s c on cl usi on s w ou l d h ave been al t er ed. T here fore , even as sum i ng thatthere w a s s o m e d e f

ic ie n c yin th e p r o c e s s , h e h a s f a ile dto e s tab lis h p r e

ju d ic e . Se e L a ta- 4-

v . I NS , 2 0 4 F .3 d1 2 4 1 , 1 2 4 6 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) ( as h o w in g o f p r e ju d ic e is r e q u ir e dto prevai l on a due process chal l enge).

P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.