FI L ED U.S. COURT OF A P P E A LS E LE V EN T H C IR C U IT MAY 11, 2007 THOMAS K. KAH

N CL ERK [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UN ITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FO R T HE EL EV EN TH CIRC UI T

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N o. 06- 1403 5 Non-A rgum ent Calendar

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- BI AN o. A 95- 843- 850 MARIO KODRA, Pet it io ne r, ve rs us U.S. ATTO RNEY GENERAL Res po nd en t.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- - Petition for Reviewof a D ecision of the Bo ar d of I m m igr at ionAppe al s

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(M ay 1 1, 200 7) Be fo re E D MO N D SO N , Ch ie f Judg e, BL A CK and M A RC U S, Ci rc uit

Jud ge s. PE R CU RIA M: Mari o K odr a (“ K odr a” ) pe tit ion s f or r ev ie wof

the Bo ar d of

I m m igr at ion Appe al s’ ( “ BI A ”) a dopt ionof the I m m igr at ionJud ge ’ s ( “ IJ ”) or de r of r em ova l andIn Marc h 2003, the enf orce ment functions of the I NS were transfe rre d to the Depa rtment of 1 Homeland Sec urity

(“D HS”). 2 de nia l of his appl ic at ionf

or a sy lum pur suant t o 8 U . S. C. § 11 58. W e fi nd n o re ve rs ibl e er

ro r; w e de ny

the pe tit ion . In O ctober 2002, the form er I m m igration and Naturalization service (“ IN S”) issued Kodra, a native and citizen of A lbania, w ith a Notice to Appear,

1 ch arg in g h im

wit h re m ov ab il it y

un de r INA § 2 12 (a)( 6) (A)(i ), 8 U.S.C. § 1182 (a)( 6)(A )(i), as an alien present in the U nited States without havin g been adm itt ed or paro le d. K odr a ap pe ar ed be fo re an I J, c onc ed ed

r em ova bil ity , and ap pli ed f or a sy lum and w ithhol din g of

r em ova l un de r the I m

m igr at ionand Nationalit y

Ac t (“ IN A” ) and the U nited Nations Conv ention Against Torture (“ CAT”). 8 U.S.C. § 1 23 1, 8 C.F.R. § 20 8.1 6( c). Inhis a sy lum

appl ic at ionand at the he ar ing be fo re the I J, K odr a co nte nde d, as am em be r of the A lbanian D em oc ratic P ar ty , he ha d be en

sub j ec te d to pe rs ec uti on b y

of fi ci al s of the the n- gove rn ing S oc ia lis t P ar ty . K odr a state d th at

he obse rv ed vot er f ra ud b y m em be rs of the S oc ia lis t P ar

ty dur ing the O ct obe r 2000 el ec tio ns. K odr a co nte nds that the a lle ge d pe rs ec uti on b eg ana ft er he ind ic at ed

his w ill ing ne ss t o te sti fy

about the f ra ud i n c ourt. H e poi nts to thr ee e pis ode s duri ng which the state prosecutor threate ned Kodra w ith jail and bo dily harm and accusedKodra ’s brief does not specif

y any points of error

for his cla ims of withholding of re moval under 2 the I NAand the CA T; he ha s th e re fo re wa ive d a rgume nts on

tho se iss ues . A l N a

jja r v . A sh c ro ft , 257 F.3d 1262, 1282 n.12 ( 11th Cir. 2001). 3 hi m of h av in g g iv en fal se tes ti m on y . On o ne oc cas io n i n F eb ru ary 20 01 , two pol ic e of fi ce rs be at

K odr a fo r ab out

te n m inute s un til he a gr ee d to sig n an a ff idavit co ntr ad ic tin g hi s e ar lie r ac co unt s of vot er f ra ud. K odr a re porte d th e inc ide nt t o th e Dem oc rat ic Part y

an d fi le d aco m

pl ai ntin co ur t ag ai ns t t he pro se cu to r’s of fic e. He later a bandon ed the com

plaint and left Albania afte r the prosecutor pressured hi m to wit hd raw t he ch arg es an d t hr eat en edhi m wit h i m pr is on m en t. Ina ddi tio n to his own te sti m ony , K odr a intro duc ed int o th e re co rd

ac opy of his D em oc ratic P ar

ty m em be rs hip c ar d; an of

fi ci al not ic e of

K odr a’ s a

ppoi ntm en t as an e le ct ionobs er

ve r fo r the O ct obe r 2000 e le ct ion ; a “N ote of P ro te st” f

ro m the D em oc ratic P ar

ty about the F eb ru ar

y 200 1 be at ing ; a

dis ch ar ge she et

f ro m Kodra’ s hosp ital visit after the beating; and the State D epartm ent’ s 2003 Country Rep or t an d 2 00 4 p ro fil e o f as y lu m cla im s an d c ou nt ry

co nd it io ns forAlb an ia . Ba se d onthi s e vid en ce , the I J de nie d K odr a’ s c la im s f or a sy lum and w ithhol din g of rem oval und er the INAand the CAT . On appeal, the BIAadopted and affirm ed the de ci sio n of

the I J, spe ci fi ca lly

not ing that the D em oc ratic P ar ty w as one of

the larg es t part ie s inA lbania . K odr a nowappe al s th e IJand B IA ’ s de nia l of his a s yl u m c l a i m. 24

Whe re th e B IA ex p re s s l y ad o p t s th e I J ’s d ec i s i o n , we re v i ew th e I J ’s de ci sio n a s if

it w er e the BI A ’ s. A l N aj

j ar v. A shc ro ft , 257 F . 3d 1 262, 128 4 ( 11th Ci r. 200 1) . W e re vie wthe I J’ s f ac tua l f ind ing s un de r the sub stanti al e vid en ce te st, acce pting such findin gs unl ess the record “ com pels” reversa l. S epulveda v. U. S. Att’ y Ge n., 401 F.3d 1226 , 1230 (11th Cir. 2005). W e re view the I J’ s legal co nc lus ion s de nov o. A l N aj j ar , 257 F . 3d at 12 84. Section 208 of the INA , 8 U .S .C. § 1158 , vests D HS and the Attorney G en er al w ithdis cr et ionto gr an t a sy lum to “ re fu ge es , ” or

pe rs ons w ho are una

ble or unwilling to return to their country “because of perse cution o r a w ell-founded fe ar of pe rs ec uti on o n a cc ount

of r ac e, r el igi on, natio na lity , or m em be rs hip in a pa rti cu la r so ci al gro up , or p ol it ic al op in io n.” INA § 1 01 (a)( 42 )(A), 8 U.S.C. § 1101 (a )( 42) (A ). A n a lie n who e sta bli she s th at

he suf fe re d pa st p er se cutio n is entitled to a rebuttable presum ption of a w ell-founded fear of persecution. S ee 8 C. F. R. § 20 8. 13( b) (1 ). A n a lie n m ay oth er w ise e sta bli sh a w el l- fo unde d f

ear of future persec ution by

showing that he subje ctively fears persecution and that an obj ec tiv el y

r ea sona ble pos sib ili ty

e xis ts tha t he w ill suf

fe r pe rs ec uti on u

pon re m ova l. S ee id. § 20 8. 13( b) (2 )( i) ; A l N aj j ar , 257 F . 3d at 12 89. Su bst an tia l e vid en ce sup ports the I J’ s de te rm inatio n th at K or daf ai le d to es ta bli sh p as t pe rs ec uti on b as ed on h is p oli tic al opi nio n. W e have pr ev iou sly5

observed that “ ‘ persecution’ is an ‘ extrem e concept,’ . . . and . . . ‘ [m ] ere hara ssm en t do es not

am ount to pe rs ec uti on. ’ ” Se pul ve da , 401 F . 3d at 12 31 (alteration in original)(quotin g Gonzales v. Reno, 323 F. 3d 13 38, 1355 (11t h Cir. 2000 )) . T he inc ide nts to w hic h K odr a te sti fi ed do n ot am ount

to pa st p er se cutio n: al tho ugh the pr ose cutor

thr eate ne d K odr a se ve ra l t im es , K odr a re ce ive d on ly m inor injuries on j ust on e occasion and was never detained or im

prisoned. See Prela v. A shcroft, 394 F. 3d 51 5, 518 (7th Cir. 2005) (no past persecution where al ie n st oppe d and i nte rr ogate d se ve ra l t im es , de ta ine d on ce f or tw en ty -f our hours , an d be at enso tha t he suf

fe re d in j ur y to his hands) ; T awm

v. A shc ro ft , 363 F . 3d 740, 742 -4 4 ( 8thCi r. 200 4) ( no p as t pe rs ec uti on whe re a lie n de ta ine d and b eate n, bu t s uf fere d n o s eri ou s i nju ry ). Ne ither does the record com pel the conclusio n that Kodra established an obj ec tiv el y

r ea sona ble f ear of f uture pe rs ec uti on. T he S tate D ep ar tm en t r ep orts indicate that there w ere no cases of political kill ings, disapp earances, or prisoners fro m 20 01 to 20 03 an d t ha t “ [t]he re ar e n o i nd ic at io ns th atth e So ci al is t Pa rty . . . is engaged in a pattern of repre ssion or violent behavi or against its op ponent s.” Se e A l N aj

j ar , 257 F . 3d at 12 87 ( co nc lud ing that su che vid en ce w as suf fi ci en t t o re but an a lie n’ s c la im

of r ea sona ble f ear of f uture pe rs ec uti on) . A nd n oth ing ev ide nc es that K odr a’ s po sit ionin the D em oc ratic P ar ty w as suc h th at

the S oc ia lis tAs Kodra acknow ledg ed in his brief, the Democr atic Party returne d to pow er in 2005. See, e.g ., 3 U. S. D e p’ t of

State B a c kgro un d N ote s: A lba nia , http ://

www. state .g ov/r

/pa /e i/b g n/3 23 5. htm . 6 Party – whic h is not

the c ur re nt g ove rn ing party

in A lbania - - w oul d si ngl e him

3 out for persecution now, m ore than five y ears a fter he left the country . See Se pul ve da , 401 F . 3d at 12 32 ( “ [T ] he e vid en ce doe s no t i ndi cate [ that the a lie n’ s] n o t o ri et y as an ac t i v i s two u l do u t l as th erfo u r- yearab s en ce fr o m Co l o m b i a. ”) . We th er ef o re co n cl u d e t h ats ub s t an t i al ev i d en ce s up p o rt s th e I J ’s d en i al o f K o dra ’s as y lum c la im and o rd er

of r em ova l. A cc or din gly , K odr a’ s pe tit ionf or r ev ie wis de nie d. PETI TI ON DENI ED.