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. 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 R A C H ID B E N N A N I, 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. 05- 73200 A ge nc yN o. A 097- 356- 754 ME MOR AN DU M *

R A C H ID B E N N A N I, 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. 05- 75097 A ge nc yN o. A 097- 356- 754

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# FI LED DE C 21 2009 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST he pa ne l una ni m ous l yf i nds thi s c a s e s ui t abl e f

orde c i s i on w i thout ** o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). 2 S ubm i tt e d D e c e m be r8, 2009 ** P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: R E IN H A R D T , T R O T T an dW A R D L A W , C i rcu i tJu d g es. R a c h idB e n n a n i, an a tiv e a n dc itiz e n o f M o r o c c o w h o is aC h r is tia n c o n v e rt, pe t i t i ons f

orr e vi e w of

tw o B oa r d of

I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s ( “ B I A ” ) de c i s i ons . T he fi rs tB IA deci si on , of A pri l 27 , 20 05 , adop t ed and affi rm ed a deci si on by an I m m i gr a t i on J udge ( “ I J ” ) de ny i ng B e nna ni ’ s appl i c a t i on f ora s y l um , w i thhol di ng of re m ov al , and p rot ec t i on un der the C on vent i on A gai nstT orture ( “ C A T ”) . In that deci si on , the B IA hel d thatB ennani ’ s a sy l um appl i ca t i on w as t i m e- barr ed, and that he w a s i ne l i gi bl e f

orw i thhol di ng of

r e m ova l orC A T pr ot e c t i on be c aus e he di d not f a c e ac le a rp r o b ab ilityo f f u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n o rto rtu r e o n th e b a s is o f h is r e lig io n . I n the s a m e de c i s i on, the B I A a l s o de ni e d am ot i on t o r e ope n, hol di ng tha tB e nna ni had fai l ed t o p rovi de fr es h evi dence of el i gi bi l i ty f or the “ extra ordi nary c i r c um s t a nc e s ” e xc e pt i on t o the one - y e a rbaron the f i l i ng of a s y l um appl i c a t i ons a nd ha d f a i l e d t o s how tha the r e c e i ve d i ne f f e c t i ve a s s i s t a nc e of

c ouns e l dur i ng the e a r l i e rs t a ge s of

the pr oc e e di ngs . T he s e c ond B I A de c i s i on, of A ugus t4, 2005, d en i ed B en n an i ’ s ren ew ed m o t i o n t o reo p en an dreco n si d er o n th e sam e g ro u n d s, a nd f urthe rhe l d tha te ve n i f

B e nna ni w e r e t o a s s e rtac r e di bl e c l a i m t o r e ope n, he3

w o u ldn o t b e e lig ib le f

o rr e lie f b e c au s e h is a s y lu m c la im w a s w ith o u t m e r it. W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on pur s ua ntt o 8 U . S . C . § 1252( a ) , a nd w e de nyB e nna ni ’ s pe t i t i on. S u b stan ti al ev id en ce in th e r ec o rd su p p o rts th e B IA ’s h o ld in g th at B en n an i’ s c la im s f o ra s y lu m , w ith h o ld in g o f r e m o v a l, a n dC A T p r o te c tio n a r e w ith o u t m e r it. A l tho ug h B ennani di d n otform al l y pre se nthi s a sy l um ca se atthe heari ng before the IJ , he di d p re se ntevi dence re gardi ng hi s e l i gi bi l i ty f or w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al a nd r e l i e f

unde rthe C A T . B e c aus e the s how i ng of pe r s e c ut i on r e qui r e d f

or w i thh ol di ng or C A T re l i ef i s gre at erthan thatre qu i re d for as yl um , w e pre sum e that B e n n a n i p r e s e n te d th e I Jw ith a ll o f th e e v id e n c e th a t h e w o u ldh a v e p r e s e n te din s u p p o rt o f

a n a s y lu m c la im . Se e Sh ir e v . A s h c r o ft , 3 8 8 F .3 d1 2 8 8 , 1 2 9 5 n .5 ( 9 th C i r. 20 04 ) ( “ T he st andard for w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al i s m ore s tri ng entthan that for e st abl i shi ng as yl um . ”) B e nna ni f

a i l e d t o pr e s e nta nye vi de nc e of pa s tpe r s e c ut i on orpr e vi ous m i s tr e a tm e ntof

anyki nd. I nde e d, he ha d r e turne d t o M or oc c o w i thouti nc i de nton a num ber of occa si on s a ft erhi s c on vers i on t o C hri st i ani ty. Inst ea d o f m aki ng an i ndi vi dua l i z e d s how i ng of pot e nt i a l f

utur e pe r s e c ut i on, B e nna ni r e l i e s upon g e n e r a liz e d a s s e rtio n s ab o u t th e tr e a tm e n t o f C h r is tia n c o n v e rts in M o r o c c o . H is cl ai m s are , ho w ever , controvert ed by evi dence i n the re cord. T he 20 03 U ni t ed S t at es D epartm entof S t at e I nt ernat i on al R el i gi ou s F re edom re po rt , for e xam pl e,4

s ta te s th a t in M o r o c c o “C h r is tia n a n dJ e w is h c o m m u n itie s o p e n lyp r a c tic e th e ir fa i ths” and thatthe M oroccan C on st i tut i on “ prov i des f or the fr ee do m of re l i gi on . ” A l though I s l a m i s the s t a t e r e l i gi on, a nd the s t a t e s upport s I s l a m i c r e l i gi ous prac t i ce s, the S t at e D epartm entre po rtcl ai m s that“ pri vat e behavi or and b el i ef s are u n r e g u la te d a n d u n m o n ito r e d ” a n dth e r e is a“g e n e r a llya m ic ab le r e la tio n s h ip a m ong r e l i gi ons i n s oc i e ty . ” T he r e ports ugge s t s tha tthe M or oc c a n gove rnm e nt e nc our a ge s t ol e r a nc e a nd r e s pe c ta m ong r e l i gi ons . I ta l s o s t a t e s tha tthe K i ng of M o r o c c o is am o d e r a te M u s lim w h o h a s c r a c k e dd o w n o n I s la m ic e x tr e m is ts . T he r e i s no e vi de nc e i n the r e c or d of the M or oc c a n gove rnm e ntt ortur i ng or othe rw i s e s e r i ous l yha rm i ng i ndi vi dua l s w ho c onve rtf r om I s l a m t o C hr i s t i a ni ty , or tha ts uc h ha rm ort ortur e i s pe r f orm e d bype r s ons oror ga ni z a t i ons tha tthe M or oc c a n gove rnm e nti s unabl e orunw i l l i ng t o c ontr ol . T he B I A ’ s c onc l us i on w a s thus s upport e d byr e a s onabl e , s ubs t a nt i a l a nd pr oba t i ve e vi de nc e i n the r e c or d, and a rea sonabl e a dj ud i ca t or w ou l d n otbe “ com pel l ed t o con cl ud e t o the contrary . ” 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 5 2 ( b ) ( 4 ) ( B ) ; L o p ezv . A s h c r o

ft , 3 6 6 F .3 d7 9 9 , 8 0 3 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) . A nye rr or s tha tthe B I A m a yha ve m a de w i th r e s pe c tt o B e nna ni ’ s m ot i ons to r e o p e n a r e h a rm le s s , b e c au s e B e n n a n i’s n e w c o u n s e l h a s f a ile d , ju s t a s h is p r e v io u s c o u n s e l f

a ile d , to p r e s e n t a n ye v id e n c e d e m o n s tr a tin g h is p r im af a c ie e l i gi bi l i tyf

ora s y l um . E ve n i f

B e nna ni w a s pr ovi de d w i th i ne f f e c t i ve a s s i s t a nc e of5

c ouns e l dur i ng the e a r l i e rs t a ge s of pr oc e e di ngs , he di d nots uf f e rpr e j udi c e f r om h is p r io rc o u n s e l’s d e f

ic ie n t p e r f

o rm a n c e . S im ila r ly , e v e n if th e B I A e rr e din denyi ng B ennani ’ s m ot i on t o reopen w i th res pectt o the on e- ye arfi l i ng bar, such e rr o rw a s h a rm le s s , b e c au s e th e u n d e r ly in g a s y lu m c la im w a s w ith o u t m e r it. See I N S v . A budu , 48 5 U . S . 94 , 10 5 (19 88 ) ( ho l di ng thatw here the ul t i m at e r el i ef s o u g h ti s d i s c r e t i o n a ry , s u c h a s a s y l u m , “ th e B I A m a yl e ap a h e a d. . . o v e rth e two thr e s hol d c onc e rns . . . a nd s i m pl yde t e rm i ne tha te ve n i f the yw e r e m e t , the m ov antw ou l d n otbe ent i t l ed t o the di sc re t i on ary grantof re l i ef . ”) . W e there fore c onc l ude tha tthe B I A ’ s de c i s i on tha tB e nna ni i s i ne l i gi bl e f ora s y l um , w i thhol di ng o f r e m o v a l, o rC A T p r o te c tio n is s u p p o rte db ys u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e , a s is its d e c i s i o n t o d e n yB e n n a n i ’ s m o t i o n s t o r e o p e n a n dr e c o n s i d e r . Ac c o r d i n g l y , we d en y B en n an i ’ s p et i t i o n s. DE NI E D.