N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
C HUNGUO LIU,

Pe t i tione r,
v. M ERR IC K B
. GARLAND, Attorne y Ge ne ra l, R e sponde nt. No. 15-73031 Age n c y No. A087-832-525
M EM O R ANDUM *

On Pe tition for Re vie w of a n Orde r of the B oa rd of Im m igration Appe a ls Subm itte d M arc h 9, 2022 ** San Fran c isc o , C a lifornia B e fore : S.R . THOM A S, M c KEOW N, a nd GOULD, C irc uit Judge s. C hunguo Liu, a

native and c itiz e n of C hina , se e ks re vie wof the B oa rd of Im m i gra tion Appe a l s (B IA) de c ision dism issing his a

ppe a l of the Im

m igration Judge ’ s de nia l of his a

p plic a tions for a sy lum

and withholding of re

m ova l . W e 

# FIL ED MAR 11 2022 M OLLY C. DW Y E R, CLERK U. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public a t ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.

* * The pa

ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without ora l a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a )(2).re vie w the B IA's de te rm ination tha t a n a pplic ant fa ile d to de m o nstra te e ligibility for a s y lum

or withholding of re

m ova l for substa

n tia l e vide nc e . Singh v . Holde r , 764 F.3d 1153, 1159 (9th C ir. 2014). W e have jurisdic t ion pursua nt to 8 U.S.C
. § 1252, a nd we grant in pa

rt a nd de ny in pa rt the pe t ition. I An a sy lum

a pplic a n t “ m ust e sta blish a we ll-founde d fe ar of future pe rse c ution by

showing both a subje c tive fe a r of future pe rse c ution, a s we ll a s a n obje c tive ly

re a sona b l e possibility

of pe rse c ution.” Duran-Rodrigue z v . Barr , 918 F.3d 1025, 1029 (9th C ir. 2019) (inte rna l quota tion m arks om itte d). “ [E] ve n a te n pe rc e nt c h anc e of pe rse c ution m ay e sta blish a we l l-founde d fe ar.” Al-Harbi v . IN S , 242 F.3d 882, 888 (9th C ir. 2001). Liu a rgue s tha t he e sta blishe d e ligibility

for
a sy lum through his te stim o ny . Unde r the R EAL ID Ac t, “ [t] he te stim ony of the
a pplic ant m ay

be suffic ie nt to sustain the a pplic ant’ s burde n without c o rrobora tion, but only if the a p p lic ant sa

tisfie s the trie r of fa c t tha t the a pplic ant's te s tim ony

is
c re d ible , is pe rsua sive , a

n d re fe rs to spe c ific fa c ts suffic i e nt to de m onstra t e tha t the
a pplic ant is a

re fuge e .” 8 U.S.C . § 1158(b)(1)(B )(ii). The B IA de te rm ine d tha t Liu’ s unc orroborat e d te stim ony wa s insuffic ie n t to m e e t his burde n of showing a n obje c tive ly

re a sona b l e possibility

of pe rse c ution.

2As a

n initia l m atte r, Liu’ s te stim ony am ply de m onstra

te d tha t he ha d a
re a s ona ble fe ar of a

ppre he nsion a

nd de te ntion a

t the ha nds of gove rnm e nt a c tors in C hina . Liu’ s te stim ony e sta blishe d tha

t gove rnm e nt a ge nts sought to a rre s t him for pra c tic ing a

nd orga niz i ng Fa l un Gong a

nd did in fa c t a

rre st, de ta i n, a

nd im prison
a ll of the pe ople with whom he re gula rly pra c tic e d
. C

f. Zhang v

. Ashc roft , 388 F.3d 713, 718 (9th C ir. 2004) (pe r c uriam ) (“ [T] he tre a tm e nt of his sim ila rly -situa te d fam i ly

m e m be rs is highly indic a tive of the a buse tha t Zha ng would e nc ounte r upon re turn.” ). Furthe r, Liu’ s te stim ony e sta blishe d tha

t the polic e hav e c om e to his hom e in C hina “ ofte n” to se arc h

for him sinc e he ha s be e n in the Unite d State s. “ T his e v i de nc e of gove rnm e nt inte re st in [Liu] inc re a se s his like lihood of future pe rse c ution.” Id. a t 718–19. Finally , Liu’ s te stim ony
e sta blishe d tha

t h e c ontinue s to pra c tic e Fa lun Gong “ e ve ry da y ” a t his hom e in the Unite d State s. The re c ord e vide nc e a lso supports the c onc lusion tha

t the tre at m e nt Liu would fa c e if de ta ine d c ould c onstitute “ pe rse c ution.” Se e Li v . Ashc roft , 356 F.3d 1153, 1158 (9th C ir.2004) (e n ba nc ) (“ [P] e rse c ution [is] an e x tre m e c onc e pt,
m arke d by the inflic tion of suffe ring or ha rm . . . in a wa y re ga rde d a s offe nsive .” (inte rna l quota

t ion m a rks a nd c ita tions omitte d)). The 2012 Sta te De pa rtm e nt C ountry R e port on C hina subm itte d with Liu’ s a

pplic a tion sugge s ts tha

t de ta ine d 3Fa lun Gong pra c titione rs ha ve be e n subje c te d to involunta ry c om m i tm e nt to psy c hiatric fa c i litie s, phy sic a l a nd psy c hologic a l c oe rc ion to re nounc e the ir be lie fs,
and a ssignm e nt to re e duc a tion-through-la bor c am ps. W e have re pe a te dly found
suc h tre a t m e nt to rise to the le ve l of pe rse c ution. Se e Zhao v . Muk a s e y , 540 F.3d 1027, 1030-31 (9th C ir. 2008); Zhou v . Gonzale s , 437 F.3d 860, 868 (9th C ir. 2006); Zhang , 388 F.3d a t 719. Ac c ordingly , the re c ord c om pe ls the c onc lusion tha

t Liu is e ligiblefor
a sy lum
. Se e IN

S v . Elias-Zac arias , 502 U.S. 478, 481 & n.1 (1992). Substa ntia l
e vide nc e doe s not support the B IA’ s c ontra

ry c o nc lusion. The re fore , we m ust
re m and the a sy lum c l a im

to the B IA for its furthe r re vie w.

II To be e ligiblefor withholding of rem o v a l, a n a pplic ant m

ust show a “ c le ar proba b ility ” of future pe rse c ution on a c c ount of a prote c te d ground. Garc ia v
. Holde r , 749 F.3d 785, 791 (9th C ir. 2014). This is a m ore stringe nt burde n

of proof tha n the “ we ll-founde d fe ar” te st a pplic a ble in the a s y lum

c o nte xt. Garc ia v
. W ilk inson , 988 F.3d 1136, 1146 (9th C i r. 2021). The re c ord doe s not c om pe l the
c onc lusion tha

t Liu’ s te stim ony

a lone wa s suffic ie nt to m e e t this m ore stringe nt burde n . Se e Lim v . IN

S , 224 F.3d 929, 939 (9th C ir. 2000) (“ To re quire tha t
a sy lum and withholding . . . m u st a lwa y s wa lk toge the r would be to re nde r the 4distinc tion be twe e n the two sta nda rds m e re e m

pty words.” ). Ea c h pa

rty sha ll be ar its own c osts. PE T IT IO N FO R RE V IE W G RANT E D IN PART , DE NIE D IN PART ; RE M ANDE D.

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