2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 10-9-2009 

# Inn a O syp ova v

. Atty Ge n U SA P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 08-3703

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2009 D e c i sion s b y an author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " Inn a O s ypova v

. Atty Ge n U SA" (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 476. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/476NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 08- 3703

___________ I N N A O SY PO V A , a/k/ a I nna V l adi m i r ovna O s ypova, Pet i t i oner v . A TTO RN EY G EN ER A L O F TH E U N I TED STA TES, R es pondent

____________________________________ O n Pet i t i on forR evi ew of an O r derof the B o a rd o f Im m ig ra tio n A p p e a ls ( A gencyN o. A 96- 265- 564) Im m i grat i on Judg e: H on orabl e F reder i c G . L eeds

____________________________________ Subm i tt ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

O ct ober7, 2009 B efor e: FU E N T E S, W E I S and G A R T H , C i r cui tJ udges

O pi ni on fi l ed: O ct ober9, 2009

___________ OP I NI ON

___________ P E R C U R I A M.

I nna O s ypova, a nat i ve of the form erU . S. S. R . and a c i t i zen of U kr ai ne, a rriv e d in th e U n ited S tate s a s a v isito r in N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 2 w ith p e rm iss io n to re m a in u n til M ay2003. I n J une 2003, s he fi l ed an a ppl i cat i on foras y l um , w i t hhol di ng, and pr ot ect i on undert he C onvent i on A gai ns tT or tur e ( “C A T ”) bas ed on herexper i ence s as an A s s yr i an2

in U k ra in e . T h e G o v e rn m e n t ch a rg e d h e r a s re m o v a b le f o r o v e rsta y in g h e r v isa in A u g u s t 2 0 0 3 .

O s ypova conc eded the r emovabi l i t ychar ge bef or e the I m m i gr at i on J udge (“ IJ ” ) a t a h e a ri n g w h e re s h e a n d a n e x p e rt w itn e s s te s tif ie d in s u p p o rt o f

h e r c la im s . P u t t i n g a s i d e i s s u e s a b o u tOs yp o v a ’ s c r e d i b i l i t y , th e I J h e l d th a tOs yp o v a h a d n o ts h o wn pas tper s ecut i on ort he pos s i bi l i t yof futur e per s ecut i on ort or tur e on the bas i s on her n a tio n a lity. In th e a lte rn a tiv e , th e IJ m a d e a n a d v e rs e c re d ib ility f in d in g . O syp o v a a p p ea led to the B o ard o f Im m igrati o n A p p ea ls ( “B IA ”). T h e B IA concl uded thati tdi d notneed t o deci de the cr edi bi l i t yi s s ue bec aus e i tagr eed w i t h t he IJ’ s a ltern a tiv e f

in d in g th a t ev e n if

O syp o v a h a d b e e n a c re d ib le w itn e ss , sh e h a d f a iled to m ee t her b u rde n s o f p roo f f o r asy lum , w ith h o lding , an d C A T reli ef. S p ec ifi ca ll y , the B IA hel d t hatherexper i ence s di d notr i s e t o t he l evel of per s ecut i on, hers on’ s exper i ence s w er e i r r el evantt o herr eques tforr el i ef, and nei t herO s ypova norherexpertnorthe i nform at i on i n t he bac kgr ound m at er i al s s how ed thats he w oul d fac e per s ecut i on i n t he f u tu re . O s yp o v a p re s e n ts a p e titio n f o r r e v ie w . W e have j ur i s di ct i on overO s ypova’ s pet i t i on forr evi ew pur s uantt o 8 U . S. C . § 1252( a) . See C hen v. A s hcr oft , 376 F. 3d 215, 222 ( 3d C i r . 2004) . W e cons i der q u e s tio n s o f

la w d e n o v o . S e e G e rb ie r v . H o lm e s , 2 8 0 F .3 d 2 9 7 , 3 0 2 n .2 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 1 ). W e r evi ew fac tual fi ndi ngs fors ubs t ant i al evi dence . See B ut tv. G onzal es , 429 F. 3d 430, 4 3 3 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 5 ). U p o n re v ie w , w e w ill d e n yO s yp o v a ’s p e titio n f o r r e v ie w .D e sp ite O syp o v a ’s a rg u m e n t to th e c o n tra ry , the B IA d id n o t er r in d e c lin in g to 1 r es ol ve the cr edi bi l i t yi s s ue and r ej ect i ng O s ypova’ s cl ai m s on t he mer i t s . See Li v. A tto rn e yG e n . o f

th e U n ite d S ta te s , 4 0 0 F .3 d 1 5 7 , 1 6 4 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 5 ). 3 A s s um i ng, as t he B I A di d, thatO s ypova’ s t es t i m onyw as cr edi bl e, 1 O s yp o v a d id n o t d e s c ri b e p a s t p e rs e c u tio n o r a w e ll- f o u n d e d f e a r o f f u tu re p e rs e c u tio n . I n addi t i on t o i nci dent s t hathappene d i n othercountr i es and name- cal l i ng w hen s he and h er f am il yca m e to U k raine , O syp o v a d esc ri b ed tw o att ac k s sh e su ff ere d in U k raine . In 1996, w hi l e s he w as s hoppi ng fors hoes forherdaught er , a N at i onal i s t( w ho w as w ear i ng a N at i onal i s tarm band) s t ruck herl ow erback or“l oi n” w i t h for ce, cal l ed her“a Caucas i an s w i ndl er ” or“C aucus es [s i c] . . . conni ver ” and t ol d hernott o s hop i n t he s t or es . R . 14, 2 2 3 . S h e re q u ir e d o u t- p a tie n t tr e a tm e n t f o r s o f t tis s u e d a m a g e a n d tr a u m a to h e r s p in e . R . 2 2 5 . In 2 0 0 2 , s h e w a s s q u e e z e d b ya N a tio n a lis t in a d o o rw a yw h ile le a v in g a s to re . R . 250. She al s o r el at ed how hers on w as at t acke d i n 1998 bytw o orthr ee ( orup t o fi ve) N at i onal i s t s on hi s w ayhom e fr om s chool . R . 15, 234. A ft erl obbi ng epi t het s , the N a tio n a lists b ro k e h e r so n ’s n o se a n d b lo o d ied h is f a c e . R . 2 2 8 , 2 3 1 -3 4 . O syp o v a d id n o t s e e k a s s is ta n c e f

ro m th e p o lic e a f

te r a n yo f

th e s e in c id e n ts . T h e in c id e n ts O s yp o v a e x p e ri e n c e d w e re s e ri o u s a n d c e rt a in ly f ri g h te n in g . H ow ever , t heyar e exa m pl es of i s ol at ed cr i m i nal act i vi t ythatdo notr i s e t o t he l evel of p e r s e c u t i o n . Cf

. L i e v . As h c r o f

t , 3 9 6 F . 3 d 5 3 0 , 5 3 6 ( 3 d Ci r . 2 0 0 5 ) ( h o l d i n g th a t“ t wo i s ol at ed cr i m i nal act s , perpetr at ed byunknow n as s ai l ant s , w hi ch r es ul t ed onl yi n t he theft of s om e per s onal pr oper t yand a mi nori nj ury , [ar e] nots uffi ci ent l ys ever e t o be4

cons i der ed per s ecut i on”) . Fur t herm or e, al though O s ypova mayhave f ace d unki nd r emar ks , oreven di s cr i m i nat i on, herexper i ence s do notr i s e t o t he l evel of per s ecut i on. See J arbough v. A t t or neyG en. of the U ni t ed St at es , 483 F. 3d 184, 191 ( 3d C i r . 2007) ( “A bus i ve tr eatm entand har as s m ent , w hi l e al w ay s depl or abl e, m aynotr i s e t o t he l evel of per s ecut i on. ”) ; C hen v. A s hcr oft , 381 F. 3d 221, 233 n. 20 ( 3d C i r . 2004) ( not i ng that cour t s r out i nel ydenyi m m i gr at i on r el i ef t o per s ons “w ho s uffe rr aci al di s cr i m i nat i on t hat f a lls s h o rt o f

p e rs e c u tio n .” ). M o re o v e r, O s yp o v a d id n o t p ro v e th a t s h e w o u ld f a c e f u tu re p e rs e c u tio n . T he expe r tw ho t es t i fi ed s t at ed thatt he att acks on O s ypova and he rs on w er e cons i s t ent w i t h act i ons of N at i onal i s t s and thathe bel i eved thats he and he rfami l yw oul d be i dent i fi abl e as di ffe r entfr om t he Sl avi c peopl e of U kr ai ne. R . 201, 209. H ow ever , w hen press ed, he ad m i t t ed thathe h ad n o inform at i on abo ut the p ers ecuti on of A ssyri ans, n o tin g th a t th e g ro u p w a s to o sm a ll t o b e tra c k e d . R . 2 0 5 . H e n o ted th a t th o se w ith darkers ki n, i ncl udi ng A fr i cans and A s i ans , w er e t ar get ed byN at i onal i s t s , buthe conce ded thatO s ypova w oul d notbe vi ew ed as ei t her . R . 188. T he expe r tcoul d not p o in t to a n ysp e c if

ic in f o rm a tio n in th e re c o rd a b o u t th e p e rse c u tio n o f A ss yria n s in U kr ai ne. R . 210. A l s o, al t hough herfami l ym ember s have s i nce moved t o other co u n tr ies, O syp o v a’s d au g h ter rem aine d in U k raine u n h arm ed fo r y ea rs af ter O syp o v a’s d e p a rt u re . R . 2 5 7 .5 I n s hor t , O s ypova w as notent i t l ed t o as y l um beca us e s he di d nots how t hat s he fa ced pa s tper s ecut i on ort hats he had a w el l - founded f earof futur e per s ecut i on. N or di d s he meett he hi gherbur den of s how i ng a cl earpr obabi l i t ythats he w oul d be per s ecut ed i n U kr ai ne t o ent i t l e hert o w i t hhol di ng. Fi nal l y , s he di d nots how thati tw as m or e l i kel yt han nott hats he w oul d be t or tur ed on r eturn t o U kr ai ne, s o s he w as not e n title d to C A T re lie f. F o r t h e s e re a s o n s , w e m u s t d e n yh e r p e titio n f o r r e v ie w .