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 Y EV G EN I Y A LEK SA N D RO V I CH B E L YK H, 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. 06- 70378, N o. 07- 73002 A ge nc yN o. A 095- 446- 994 ME MOR AN DU M *

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the B o a r do f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls S ubm i tt e d M a y5, 2010 ** P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: N O O N A N , C L IF T O N an dB Y B E E , C i rcu i tJu d g es. Y e vge ni yA l e ks a ndr ovi c h B e l y kh ( “ B e l y kh” ) , ana t i ve a nd c i t i z e n of the Ru s s i a n Fe d e r a t i o n , p e t i t i o n s f o rr e v i e w o f

th e d e n i a l o f

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o ra s y l u m, w i thh ol 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 ”) . B el ykh, a gaym an, as se rt ed pastpers ec ut i on and a fear of f uture 

# FI LED MA Y18 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

pers ec ut i on on ac coun tof hi s s exual ori ent at i on . T he Im m i grat i on Judg e ( “ IJ ”) de ni e d r e l i e f

on the ba s i s of

a n a dve r s e c r e di bi l i tyde t e rm i na t i on, a nd the B oa r d of Im m i grat i on A pp ea l s ( “ B IA ”) af fi rm ed. T he B IA used i t s s um m ary a ff i rm ance p r o c e d u r e , s o w e r e v ie w th e I J ’s d e c is io n . P er ezv. Mukasey , 516 F . 3d 770, 773 (9th C i r. 20 08 ). W e r evi ew the adverse cr edi bi l i ty det erm i nat i on for s ub st ant i al e v id e n c e , So to-O larte v . H older , 5 5 5 F .3 d1 0 8 9 , 1 0 9 1 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 9 ) , a n dap p ly pr e - R E A L I D A c ts t a nda r ds , be c aus e B e l y kh’ s a s y l um appl i c a t i on w a s f i l e d pr i or to th e A c t’s e f

f e c tiv e d a te , se e Si nh a v. H older , 56 4 F . 3d 10 15 , 10 21 n. 3 (9th C i r. 2 0 0 9 ) . B e ly k h a ls o p e titio n s f o rr e v ie w o f

th e B I A ’s d e n ia l o f

h is m o tio n to r e o p e n , w h ic h w e r e v ie w f o rab u s e o f

d is c r e tio n . N

aj m ab ad iv. H

older , 597 F . 3d 9 8 3 , 9 8 6 (9 th C i r. 2 0 1 0 ). W e d en y b o th p et i t i o n s. S u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e s u p p o rts th e I J ’s a d v e r s e c r e d ib ilityd e te rm in a tio n . W e w i l l u p h o l dan ad v erse cred i b i l i ty fi n d i n g as l o n g as th e ag en cy p ro v i d es atl east on e “ spec i fi c, cogentre as on ” that“ go [e s] t o the heartof [the] as yl um cl ai m . ” L iv. A s h c r o ft , 378 F . 3d 959, 962 ( 9th C i r . 2004) ( quot a t i on m a rks om i tt e d, s e c ond al t er at i on i n o ri gi nal ). F i rs t , the re cord supp ort s the IJ ’ s det erm i nat i on that B el ykh’ s t es t i m on y a s t o the dat e of hi s f i rs tm edi ca l exam i nat i on for m i l i t ary se rvi ce w as so i ncon si st entthati tun derm i ned the cl ai m thatB el ykh ever unde rw e nta nye xa m i na t i ons . W he n a nd w he the rB e l y kh unde rw e nte xa m i na t i ons3

i s c ruc i a l t o the c l a i m tha tthe f i r s te xa m i na t i on c r e a t e d ape rm a ne ntr e c or d of B el ykh’ s hom osexual i ty, causi ng future di sc ri m i nat i on . S ec on d, the re cord s upport s the I J ’ s de c i s i on t o di s c r e di tB e l y kh’ s t e s t i m onytha the w a s s ubj e c t e d t o a m onth- l ong, i nvol unt a ryps y c hi a tr i c hos pi t a l i z a t i on, a n e ve ntom i tt e d f r om the as yl um appl i ca t i on . W hen asked t o exp l ai n, B el ykh answ er ed, “ I f orgo tabou ti t . ” Invo l un t ary psy chi atri c hospi t al i za t i on i s acruci al el em entof B el ykh’ s c l ai m that he s uf f e r e d pa s tpe r s e c ut i on. T he om i s s i on of thi s m a j ore ve nt , c om bi ne d w i th the u n c o n v in c in g e x p la n a tio n , is s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e s u p p o rtin g th e I J ’s d e c is io n to d is c r e d it B e ly k h ’s te s tim o n y . See Ki n v. H older , 59 5 F . 3d 10 50 , 10 56 -57 (9th C i r. 20 10 ). I n the abs e nc e of c r e di bl e t e s t i m ony , B e l y kh’ s c l a i m s f ora s y l um a nd w ith h o ld in g f

a il. Se e Fa r a h v . A s h c r o ft , 3 4 8 F .3 d1 1 5 3 , 1 1 5 6 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) . B e c aus e B e l y kh’ s C A T c l a i m i s ba s e d on the s a m e e vi de nc e the I Jf ound not cr edi bl e, and n o o ther e vi dence i n the re cord com pel s afi nd i ng thati ti s m ore l i k el y th an n o tB el yk h w o u l db e t o rtu red i f retu rn ed t o R u ssi a, th e C A T cl ai m al so f a ils . Se e i d. a t1157. T h e B I A d idn o t ab u s e its d is c r e tio n w h e n it d e n ie dB e ly k h ’s m o tio n to re op en. T o p re vai l on a m ot i on t o reopen b as ed on changed ci rc um st ance s, an appl i c a ntm us tpr ovi de ne w a nd m a t e r i a l e vi de nc e tha t , w he n c ons i de r e d w i th the4

e v id e n c e f

r o m th e o r ig in a l h e a r in g , w o u lde s tab lis h ap r im af a c ie c a s e f

o rr e lie f . See T ou f i gh iv. Mukasey , 5 3 8 F .3 d9 8 8 , 9 9 6 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 8 ) ; M a ltyv . A s h c r o

ft , 381 F .3 d9 4 2 , 9 4 5 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) . D u e p r o c e s s r e q u ir e s th a t th e B I A c o n s id e ra ll r e le v a n t e v id e n c e . Se e La r i ta -M a r t i n ezv . I

NS , 22 0 F . 3d 10 92 , 10 95 (9th C i r. 20 00 ). F i r s t , B e l y kh ha s notove r c om e the pr e s um pt i on tha tthe B I A r e vi e w e d the e v id e n c e . See Ferna ndezv. G on zales , 43 9 F . 3d59 2, 60 3 (9th C i r. 20 06 ). In de ny i ng the m ot i on t o r e ope n, the B I A not e d tha ti tr e vi e w e d “ the doc um e nt a t i on p re se n ted b y b o th th e r es p o n d en t an dth e D H S ,” an ditd iscu ss ed B elyk h ’s evi dence. T he B IA “ i nd i cat e[ d] w i th speci fi ci ty thati thear d and consi dere d pet i t i on er ’ s c l ai m s. ” M a r a v illa v . A s h c r o

ft , 3 8 1 F .3 d8 5 5 , 8 5 8 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) . S e c o n d , th e B I A d idn o t ab u s e its d is c r e tio n in f in d in g th a t B e ly k h f

a ile d to dem on stra t e c hang ed ci rc um st ance s thatw ou l d w arrantre op eni ng . A s the B IA not e d, the ne w e vi de nc e r e ga r di ng the c a nc e l l a t i on of the f i r s tga ypr i de pa r a de a nd prop osed l egi sl at i on t o rec ri m i nal i ze ho m osexual i ty, w hi ch w as si m i l art o a fa i l ed bi l l thathad b ee n i ntrodu ce d i n 2 00 2, do es no tdem on stra t e thatcond i t i on s had w o r s e n e df

o rg a ya n dle s b ia n in d iv id u a ls in R u s s ias u c h th a t B e ly k h m e t h is “h e a v yb u r d e n o f

p r o v in g th a t . . . th e n e w e v id e n c e w o u ldlik e lyc h a n g e th e r e s u lt5

i n the ca se . ” Sh i n v. M

ukasey , 547 F . 3d 1019, 1025 ( 9th C i r . 2008) ( quot a t i on m arks om i tt ed). T h e G o v e rn m e n t’s m o tio n to s tr ik e in N o . 0 6 - 7 0 3 7 8 is d e n ie da s m o o t. T HE P E T I T I ON S F OR RE V I E W AR E DE NI E D.