2006 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 1-24-2006 

# Avet i syan v . Atty Ge n U SA P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 04-4724

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____________ VAR DAN AV E T I S YAN, Pet i t i oner v. A L B E R T O G O N Z A L E S, A t t orneyG ener al

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Im m ig ra tio n A p p e a ls I N S N o. A 79 329 992 Im m ig ra tio n Ju d g e : H o n o ra b le H e n ryS . D o g in Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a) J anuary13, 2006 B efor e: R O T H , FU E N T E S, and R O SE N N , C i r cui tJ udges

( Fi l ed J anuary24, 2006)

____________ OPI NI ON O F THE COURT

____________ R O SE N N , C i r cui tJ udge. Va r d e n Av e t i s y a n a p p e a l s th e d e n i a l o f h i s c l a i ms f

o rp o l i t i c a l a s y l u m, w i th h o l d i n g o f

r e m o v a l , a n d r e l i e f

u n d e rth e C o n v e n t i o n A g a i n s tT o r tu r e . S p e c i f i c a l l y, he appe al s the adve r s e cr edi bi l i tydet erm i nat i on m ade bythe I m m i gr at i on J udge ( “I J ”)2

and af fi r m ed bythe B oar d of I m m i gr at i on A ppeal s ( “B I A ”) . B eca us e w e fi nd thatthe c r e d i b i l i tyd e c i s i o n i s s u p p o r t e d b ys u b s t a n t i a l e v i d e n c e , we a f f i r m. W e r evi ew adver s e cr edi bi l i tydet erm i nat i ons of the B I A and I J fors ubs t ant i al e v id e n c e . C ao v. A t t or ney G ener al , 4 0 7 F .3 d 1 4 6 , 1 5 2 (3 rd C ir. 2 0 0 5 ). U n d e r th is st and ard, “t he B IA ’s fi nd i ng m ustbe u ph el d u nles s the ev i den ce no ton l ysupp ort s a contr aryconcl us i on, butcompel s i t . ” A b d ill e v . A sh c ro ft , 2 4 2 F . 3 d 4 7 7 , 4 8 3 (3rd C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) . Wh e r e a n o p i n i o n i s s u e d b yth e BI A e s s e n t i a l l ya d o p t s th e o p i n i o n o f th e I J , we re v ie w b o th o p in io n s . G a o v . A s h c r o ft, 2 9 9 F . 3 d 2 6 6 , 2 7 1 (3rd C ir . 2 0 0 2 ). A s the B IA ’s shortop i nion ado pts the IJ’ s oral op i nion, w e hav e revi ew ed b oth opini on s. B e c a u s e w e w ri te p ri m a ri ly f o r t h e p a rt ie s , w e b ri e f

ly re f e r t o th e s a lie n t f

a c ts . A vet i s y an arr i ved i n the U ni t ed St at es i n 2000 on a non- i m m i gr antJ - 1 vi s a and s ubs equent l yappl i ed t o have hi s vi s a cha nged t o B - 2 ( “t our i s t ”) and ext ended. B efor e the to u rist v isa e x p ire d h e a ttem p ted to c h a n g e h is v isa sta tu s a g a in to th a t o f a stu d e n t. T h is fi nal vi s a appl i cat i on, w hi ch w as found t o cont ai n fal s e s t at ement s and fr audul ent document at i on, w as deni ed i n 2001 and he ther eupon appl i ed foras y l um and w i thhol di ng o f re m o v a l. A vet i s y an bas es hi s cl ai m foras y l um on hi s t es t i m onythathe w as per s ecut ed for hi s pol i t i cal vi ew s as a s tudentatthe U ni ver s i tyof Y er evan, A r m eni a, and w hi l e s ervi ng i n the A r m eni an arm y . H e cl ai m s thatas a s tudenthe w as t aken t o a pol i ce s t at i on and beat en forhi s s uppor tof the oppos i t i on partydur i ng an el ect i on. H e al s o t es t i fi ed that3

s chool admi ni s tr at or s t ol d hi m thathe w oul d be expe l l ed i f he c ont i nued hi s pol i t i cal oppos i t i on. H e al s o t es t i fi ed thathe w as beat en bythe K G B s ever al t i m es i n connec t i on w i th hi s act i vi t i es . W hi l e i n t he A r m y , he cl ai m s thathe w as pr es s ur ed t o w i thdr aw stat em en ts he m ad e a b o u t th e d ea th o f a fe ll o w so ldier, b ec au se o f a g o v ern m en t cov erup, and w as thr eat ened a nd beat en w hen he r efus ed. T h e IJ a n d B IA fo u n d a n u m b er o f in co n sist en cies a n d fa lseh o o d s in A v eti sy an ’s pr es ent at i on. Som e of the mi nordi s cr epanc i es betw een hi s t es t i m onyand hi s as y l um a p p lic a tio n m ig h t b e e x p la in e d b yth e d if f e re n c e s th a t c o m e f

ro m te llin g a s to ry tw ic e . Forexampl e, A vet i s y an t es t i fi ed thathe w as pus hed outof a bui l di ng dur i ng one i nci dent dur i ng an el ect i on, notarr es t ed ort aken a w ay , buti n hi s as y l um appl i cat i on he w r ot e that “mi l i t i amen dr ove us outof the U ni ver s i ty ’ s t err i t ory . . . . [they ] t ook us faraw ayfr om t he U ni ver s i tyand t ol d us t o s t ayaw ayfr om the bui l di ng. ” A ddi t i onal l y , the as y l um appl i cat i on and A vet i s y an’ s t es t i m onydi ffe r ed bya mont h on the dat e of a s tudent demonstr at i on thatended w i th a bea t i ng and a br oken r i b. Such di s cr epanc i es , i n the fa ce of an otherw i s e cons i s t ent , det ai l ed, and bel i evabl e s t ory , w oul d pr obabl ynots uppor tan a d v e rs e c re d ib ility d e te rm in a tio n . See G ao , 299 F. 3d at272 ( m i nori ncons i s t enci es and om i s s i ons ar e notan ade quat e bas i s foran adve r s e cr edi bi l i tyfi ndi ng) . T he I J s ai d as m uch dur i ng the hea r i ng. I n thi s cas e, how ever , the B I A and I J di d notr el ys ol el yon m i nori ncons i s t enci es i n A vet i s y an’ s s t oryforthei rcr edi bi l i tydet erm i nat i on. O n cr os s exami nat i on, A vet i s y an4

a d m itt e d th a t h is s tu d e n t v isa a p p lica tio n c o n tain e d n u m e ro u s f a lse h o o d s. H is exp l anati on i s that he saw an ad vert i sem ent bysom eon e w ho han dled vi sa appli cat i on s, a n d g a v e th is p e rso n th e f u ll res p o n sib ili tyf

o r h is v isa a p p lica tio n . A lth o u g h h e a d m its s i gni ng the document , he t es t i fi ed thathe di d notknow of i t s cont ent s and thathe neve r s aw the w hol l yfal s e j ob ver i fi cat i on l ett erthatw as att ache d t o the appl i cat i on. H e s t at ed, “I w as t ol d i n t he off

i ce thathe’ s goi ng t o t ake c ar e of f i l l i ng out . A l l I had t o do w as sig n . ” D e n y in g a ll k n o w led g e o f th e c o n ten ts o f

h is v isa a p p lica tio n d o e s n o th in g to e n h a n c e h is c re d ib ility, e s p e c ia lly a s th e IJ f o u n d th a t h e h a d s o m e p ro f ic ie n c yin E n g lis h . U nderthe ci r cumst ance s , i tw as notunr eas onabl e forthe I J and B I A t o di s bel i eve A v eti sy an ’s asse rt ion s o f c o m p let e inn o ce n ce in tha t m att er. T he I J al s o found thatA vet i s y an s houl d have be en abl e t o pr ovi de s om e form of corr obor at i ve document at i on t o s uppor thi s cl ai m s of pol i t i cal per s ecut i on. T he I J found thatther e w er e no document s s uppor t i ng hi s cl ai m s t o num er ous beat i ngs and s ubs equent m edi cal tr eatm ent s , i ncl udi ng a four - w eek hos pi t al confi nement , hi s m ember s hi p i n a p o lit ica l o rg a n iza tio n a s a stu d e n t, or h is la ter in v o lv e m e n t in a h u m a n -rig h ts or gani zat i on. G i ven the t i m e betw een hi s D ece m ber2001 not i ce a nd the J ul y2004 evi dent i aryhear i ng and the open l i nes of comm uni cat i on betw een the U ni t ed St at es and A r m eni a, the I J found thatA vet i s y an coul d have pr oduced a tl eas ts om e document s i f the event s A vet i s y an des cr i bed w er e true. T he I J found i tw as i m pos s i bl e t o bel i eve that A v e tis y a n w a s in v o lv e d in th e s tu d e n t s tru g g le s w ith o u t s o m e c o rr o b o ra tiv e p ro o f.5

T h e d o c u m e n ts th e IJ e x p e c ted sh o u ld h a v e b e e n w ith in A v e tisy a n ’s p o w e r to o b ta in , s u c h a s th e m e d ic a l r e c o rd s a n d re c o rd s o f m e m b e rs h ip in p o litic a l o rg a n iz a tio n s . S e e D ia v . A sh c ro

ft , 353 F. 3d 228, 253- 54 ( 3d C i r . 2003) . A l though w e r eal i ze that d o c u m e n ts re late d to p e rse c u tio n a re o f ten u n a v a ilab le, A v e tisy a n d id n o t ev e n e x p lain hi s fai l ur e t o pr ovi de them. I n vi ew of the otherpr obl ems w i th hi s appl i cat i on, i tw as not u n re a s o n a b le f

o r t h e IJ to e x p e c t s o m e c o rr o b o ra tiv e d o c u m e n ts . S e e A b d u la i v. A sh c ro ft , 2 3 9 F . 3 d 5 4 2 , 5 5 4 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 3 ). T ogether , the fa l s e vi s a appl i cat i on, the l ack of document aryevi dence , and the m ino r i n co n sist en cies su p p o rtthe IJ’s a n d B IA ’s de cisi o n s to d en yA v eti sy an ’s ap p li ca ti o n . W e h o ld tha t th e IJ’s ad v erse cre d ibil ityd eterm ination an d the B IA ’s aff i r m ance ar e s uppor t ed bys ubs t ant i al evi dence . W e ther efor e denythe pet i t i on for r e v i e w.