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). 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 I SAI AS ABRAHA HA I LE , 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. 08- 71409 A ge nc yN o. A 099- 541- 055 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 S ubm i tt e d J ul y16, 2012 ** S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: T A S H IM A , C L IF T O N , an d M U R G U IA , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P e t i t i one rI s a i a s A br a haH a i l e , ana t i ve a nd c i t i z e n of E r i tr e a , pe t i t i ons f

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I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s ’ ( “ B I A ” ) de c i s i on a f f i rm i ng the i m m i gr a t i on j udge ’ s ( “ I J ” ) de ni a l of H a i l e ’ s appl i c a t i on f

ora s y l um , w i thhol di ng of 

# FI LED JU L 19 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

r e m ova l , a nd pr ot e c t i on unde rthe C onve nt i on A ga i ns tT ortur e ( “ C A T ” ) . W e de ny th e p e t i t i o n f

o rr e v i e w. O urr e vi e w of

the c r e di bi l i tyde t e rm i na t i ons i n thi s c a s e i s gove rne d bythe R E A L I D A c tof

2005 be c aus e H a i l e ’ s a s y l um appl i c a t i on w a s f i l e d a f t e rM a y11, 2 0 0 5 . R E A L I D A c t o f 2 0 0 5 , P u b . L . N o . 1 0 9 - 1 3 , § 1 0 1 ( h ) ( 2 ) , 1 1 9 S ta t. 2 3 1 ; se e 8 U . S . C . ' 1158( b) ( 1) ( B ) ( i i i ) . W e r e vi e w a n a dve r s e c r e di bi l i tyde t e rm i na t i on f or s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e . M alkand iv. H

older , 5 7 6 F .3 d 9 0 6 , 9 0 8 (9 th C ir. 2 0 0 9 ). “W e acco rd sp eci al d eferen ce t o an IJ’ s cred i b i l i ty d et erm i n at i o n , an d w i l l o n l y ex erci se ou r pow ert o g ranta pet i t i on for r evi ew w hen the evi dence com pel s acontrary concl usi on . ” Kha dka v. H older , 61 8 F . 3d 99 6, 10 00 (9th C i r. 20 10 ) ( i nt ernal q u o ta tio n m a rk s a n d a lte r a tio n s o m itte d ) . S ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s upport s the B I A ’ s c onc l us i on tha tH a i l e w a s not c r e d ib le . F ir s t, H a ile ’s s ta te m e n ts ab o u t th e b a s is o f h is f e a ro f p e r s e c u tio n in E r i tr e aw e r e i nc ons i s t e nt . W he n i nt e rvi e w e d byaC us t om s a nd B or de rP a tr ol offi ce r a tthe bo rder , H ai l e t ol d the offi ce r thathe l ef tE ri tre a bec ause he fe ar ed be i ng pe r s e c ut e d the r e , be c aus e the gove rnm e ntw a s a rr e s t i ng be l i e ve r s i n the O rtho do x rel i gi on . H ow ever , athi s c re di bl e f ear i nt ervi ew , H ai l e s t at ed thathe l ef t E r itr e ab e c au s e th e m ilita rytr ie d to e n lis t h im w h e n h e w a s u n d e r a g e . S im ila r ly , in hi s app l i ca t i on for a sy l um and i n h i s r em ov al hear i ng , H ai l e c l ai m ed thathe l ef t3

E ri tre a bec ause he op po se d the go vernm ent ’ s pol i cyof un dera ge m i l i t ary r e c rui tm e nt , a nd f

e a r e d tha ti f

he r e turne d he w oul d be puni s he d f ore va di ng s e rv ic e . T h e B IA p ro p er ly re li ed o n th e lac ko f “co n sisten cy b etw ee n th e ap p li ca n t’ s [ ] w r itte n a n d o r a l s ta te m e n ts .” 8 U .S .C . § 1 1 5 8 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( B ) ( iii) . A thi s i ni t i al i nt ervi ew , H ai l e “ fa i l ed t o m ent i on [und er age m i l i t ary r ec rui tm ent ] , the ce ntra l el em entof [hi s] as yl um cl ai m . ” Y an L i u v. H

older , 64 0 F . 3d 91 8, 92 6 (9th C i r. 2 0 1 1 ) . T hi s i s ar e l e va ntf a c t ortha t“ c a n r e a s onabl ybe s a i d t o ha ve abe a r i ng on a pet i t i on er ’ s ver ac i ty. ” R en v. H older , 648 F . 3d 1079, 1084 ( 9th C i r . 2011) (i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed). S ec o n d , th e I J d idn o t ab u se h erd iscr etio n in ex clu d in g a c o p y o f H aile’s b ap tis m a l c e rtif

ic a te f o rla c ko f

au th e n tic a tio n . H a ile d idn o t b r in g th e o r ig in a l to h is r e m o v a l h e a r in g , a n d o f f e r e d o n lyh is o w n te s tim o n yto au th e n tic a te th e c o p y . H ow e ve r , the I Jf

ound H a i l e ’ s t e s t i m onynotc r e di bl e . I n the abs e nc e of a ny a c c e p tab le f

o rm o f au th e n tic a tio n , th e I Jc a n n o t h a v e ab u s e d h e rd is c r e tio n in e x c lu d in g th e c o p yo f

th e c e rtif

ic a te . See V

at yan v. Mukasey , 508 F . 3d 1179, 1185 ( 9th C i r . 2007) ( “ I m m i gr a t i on j udge s r e t a i n br oa d di s c r e t i on t o a c c e ptadoc um e nt a s au th e n tic o rn o t b a s e d o n th e p a rtic u la rf a c tu a l s h o w in g p r e s e n te d .” ) .4

T hi r d, the onl yothe re vi de nc e of i de nt i tytha tH a i l e i ntr oduc e d w a s the t es t i m on y of hi s c ou si n’ s husband , M r. T ec ki e. H ai l e has no tshow n thatM r. T e c k ie ’s te s tim o n yc o m p e ls th e c o n c lu s io n th a t H a ile e s tab lis h e d h is id e n tity . See Av e to v a - El is s e v a v . I

NS , 21 3 F . 3d 11 92 , 11 96 (9th C i r. 20 00 ) ( “ [A ] pet i t i on er cont endi ng thatthe B oard’ s f i nd i ng s are erroneou s m ustes t abl i sh thatthe evi dence n o to n l y su

p p o rt s th a t c o n c lu s io n , b u t co m p el s i t . ” ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks o m itte d ) ) . B e c au s e H a ile f

a ile d to m e e t h is b u r d e n o f p r o o f f o ra s y lu m , h e n e c e s s a r ily f a ile d to m e e t th e h ig h e rb u r d e n o f p r o o f f o rw ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l. R en , 648 F .3 d a t 1 0 9 4 n .1 7 . S u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e a ls o s u p p o rts th e B I A ’s c o n c lu s io n th a t H a ile f a ile d to m ee thi s burden for rel i ef un der C A T . H ai l e has offe re d n o cre di bl e e vi dence that i ti s mo r e l i k e l yth a n n o tth a th e w o u l d b e t o rtu r e d i f r e mo v e d t o Er i tr e a . 8 C. F. R. § 1 2 0 8 .1 6 ( c ) ( 2 ) . P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.