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 YA J UN L I U, 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 y G e n e r a l, R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 08- 73028 A ge nc yN o. A 076- 209- 300 ME MOR AN DU M *

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orR e vi e w of

a n O r de rof

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 F e brua ry9, 2010 D e f e rr e d F e brua ry10, 2010 R e s ubm i tt e d F e brua ry17, 2010 H o n o lu lu , H a w a ii B efo re: F A R R IS , D . W . N E L S O N an d B E A , C i rcu i tJu d g es. Y a J u n L iup etit io n s f

o r r ev iew o f th e B o ar d o f I m m ig ra ti o n A p p ea ls’s (“ B IA ”) d eci si o n d en yi n g h er d eferral of rem o v al u n d er th e C o n v en t i o n A g ai n st T o rtu r e ( “C A T ” ) . U n ite d N a tio n s C o n v e n tio n A g a in s t T o rtu r e a n d O th e rC ru e l, I n h u ma n o rD e g r a d i n g Tr e a tme n to rPu n i s h me n t , D e c . 1 0 , 1 9 8 4 , 1 4 6 5 U . N . T. S. 

# FI LED FEB 24 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSW e r e f e rr e d th is c a s e to m e d ia tio n , s u b je c t to th e r e s p o n d e n t’s c o n s e n t. 1 R e s ponde ntha s oppos e d the r e f e rr a l a nd thi s c a s e i s now r e s ubm i tt e d.

2 8 5 , 2 3 I .L .M . 1 0 2 7 . See R egul at i on s C on ce rni ng the C on vent i on A gai nstT orture, 64 F ed. R eg. 84 78 -01 at84 82 -83 (F eb. 19 , 19 99 ) ( codi fi ed atvari ou s part s of 8 C . F . R . ); 8 C . F . R . § § 2 0 8 . 1 6 -2 0 8 . 1 8 (1 9 9 9 ). L i u co n ced ed rem o v ab i l i ty. 1 L i u c ont e nds tha t , i f

s he r e turns t o C hi na , s he w i l l be t ortur e d a nd ki l l e d by m em bers of a c ri m i nal drug gang i n repri sa l for hercoop er at i on w i th the U ni t ed S t a t e s gove rnm e nt , w he r e s he a s s i s t e d i n the c aptur e a nd a rr e s tof tw o ga ng m em bers and the i dent i fi ca t i on of a thi rd gang m em ber. T he B IA di d n otdi sturb th e im m ig r a tio n ju d g e ’s f in d in g th a t L iu is m o r e lik e lyth a n n o t to b e to rtu r e d if she r eturns t o C hi na and w e do n otre vi si tthatfi nd i ng here ; i nst ea d the B IA deni ed C AT r e l i e f

o n th e g r o u n d th a tL i u ’ s e v i d e n c e wa s i n s u f f i c i e n t , a s am a tt e ro f

l a w, t o sho w C hi nese go vernm entoffi ci al s w er e m ore l i kel y than n ott o acqui es ce i n h er t orture. W e r e v ie w th e B I A ’s a n s w e r s to q u e s tio n s o f la w d e n o v o , B rezi l i en v. H older , 569 F . 3d 403, 411 ( 9th C i r . 2009) , a nd w e di s a gr e e . . L i u a dduc e d the f ol l ow i ng e vi de nc e : ( 1) he rc r e di bl e t e s t i m ony r e ga r di ng c orrupt i on i n C hi na ; ( 2) d o c u me n t a ry e v i d e n c e a s t o s y s t e mi c c o rru p t i o n i n Ch i n a ; ( 3 ) p o rt i o n s o f th e U . S. S t at e D epartm entC ou ntryR eportfor C hi na thatre l at ed ac coun t s of l ocal3

corrup t i on re gardi ng al i en tra ff i cker s. In re spon se , the go vernm entaddu ce d e vi de nc e f

r om s t a t e - run ne w s pape r s tha tthe C hi ne s e gove rnm e ntw a s c r a c ki ng dow n on drug tr a f

f i c ki ng. T he gove rnm e nta l s o i ntr oduc e d one a rt i c l e f r om the B B C i n 2 00 0 report i ng si m i l arenforce m entef fort s a gai nstdrug tra ff

i cker s. B as ed on ou r r evi ew of thi s e vi dence, w e hol d thatL i u’ s e vi dence w as suff i ci entt o m ee t her burden o f proof. L i u h as show n, by a pre po nd er ance of the evi dence, that C h in e s e g o v e rn m e n t o f

f ic ia ls a r e m o r e lik e lyth a n n o t to a c q u ie s c e in h e rto rtu r e if s h e r e tu rn s to C h in a . Se e Zh e n gv . A s h c r o ft , 33 2 F . 3d 11 86 (9th C i r. 20 03 ). G R A N T E D .