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 GE OR GE MUNY AG A N YA MU, 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. 08- 75169 A ge nc yN o. A 099- 358- 798 ME MOR AN DU M *

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orR e vi e w of

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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 A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d Jul y10, 2012 S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B efo re: S C H R O E D E R , R E IN H A R D T , an dM . S M IT H , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P et i t i on erG eorge N yam u, a nat i ve and ci t i ze n o f K enya , pet i t i on s f or re vi ew o f th o s e p o rt i o n s o f

th e f i n a l o r d e ro f

th e B o ar do f

I m m i g r a t i o n Ap p e a l s ( B I A) d en yi n g h i s ap p l i cat i o n fo r asyl u m an dw i th h o l d i n g o f rem o v al . S p eci fi cal l y, N y a mu c h a l l e n g e s th r e e o f th e BI A ’ s h o l d i n g s : ( 1 ) th a tth e p a s th arms th a tN y a mu s u f f e r e dd i dn o tc o n s t i tu t e “ p e r s e c u t i o n ” w i th i n th e me an i n g o f 8 U . S. C. 

# FI LED

JU L 24 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSN y a m u ’s b r ie f s r a is e n o a r g u m e n ts r e g ar d in g th e B I A ’s d e n ia l o f h is 1 appl i cat i on for r el i ef

un der the C on vent i on A gai nstT orture ( C A T ). W e there fore d e n yh is p e titio n f

o rr e v ie w o f

th e B I A ’s o r d e rd e n y in g h is C A T c la im s . See M a r t i n ez - Se rra n o v . I

NS , 94 F . 3d 12 56 , 12 59 -60 (9th C i r. 19 96 ) .

2 § 1101( a ) ( 42) ( A ) ; ( 2) tha t , e ve n i f he ha d s uf

f e r e d pe r s e c ut i on, i tw a s not“ on a c c ountof

” hi s pol i t i c a l opi ni on; a nd ( 3) tha the w a s c apabl e of s a f e l yr e l oc a t i ng w i thi n K e ny a . W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on pur s uantt o 8 U . S . C . § 1252, a nd w e gr antthe p et i t i o n fo r rev i ew an drem an dt o th e B IA fo r fu rth er p ro ceed i n g s. 1 T h e B I A a s s u m e d , w ith o u t d e c id in g , th a t N y a m u w a s c r e d ib le . O n th is ap p e a l, w e lik e w is e a s s u m e , b u t d o n o t d e te rm in e , N y a m u ’s c r e d ib ility . N avas v. I NS , 21 7 F . 3d 64 6, 65 7 (9th C i r. 20 00 ). W e a ddr e s s f

i r s tthe B I A ’ s hol di ng r e gar di ng the e xi s t e nc e of pe r s e c ut i on. T he B I A f

a i l s t o t a ke i nt o a c c ountthe m ul t i pl e de a th thr e a t s tha tN y a m u r e c e i ve d. T h is its e lf

w a rr a n ts r e v e r s a l. Y

eghi azari an v. G on zales , 4 3 9 F .3 d9 9 4 , 1 0 0 0 ( 9 th C i r. 20 06 ) ( du e proces s r equi re s thatthe B IA “ re vi ew al l re l evantevi dence subm i tt ed on appeal ”) . T aki ng these threa t s i nt o acc ou nt , i n add i t i on t o the other ha rm s N y a m u s uf

f e r e d, w e c onc l ude tha tthe B I A ’ s f i ndi ng r e gar di ng pe r s e c ut i on i s uns upport e d bys ubs t ant i a l e vi de nc e . T he harm s N y a m u s uf f e r e d, i nc l udi ng death threa t s, bei ng hel d u p atgu np oi nt , havi ng hi s hands t i ed, and b ei ng re nd er ed u n c o n s c io u s , w e r e s u f

f ic ie n tlys e r io u s to c o n s titu te p e r s e c u tio n . See Q ua n v.3

G on zales , 4 2 8 F .3 d8 8 3 , 8 8 8 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) ; Ve n tu ra v . I NS , 264 F . 3d 1150, 1154 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) , r e v ’ d on othe rgr ounds , 53 7 U . S . 12 (200 2). T he B I A a l s o e rr e d i n f

i ndi ng tha tN y a m u ha d note s t abl i s he d tha tthe p er se cu ti o n h e s u ff

er ed w as “o n ac co u n t o f” h is p o li ti ca l o p in io n . N ya m u ’s pr e a c hi ng a nd a dvoc a c yr e ga r di ng the pol l ut i on c aus e d bybus i ne s s e s i n hi s r e gi on o f K e n y ac le a r lyc o n s titu te dap o litic a l o p in io n . See A hm ed v. Keisler , 504 F . 3d 11 83 , 11 92 (9th C i r. 20 07 ) ( po l i t i ca l op i ni on “ encom pass es m ore than el ec t oral p o l i t i c s o rf

o rma l p o l i t i c a l i d e o l o g yo ra c t i o n ” ) . Th e BI A c o n t e n d s th a tN y a mu c a nnote s t abl i s h ane xus t o hi s pol i t i c a l opi ni on be c aus e hi s pe r s e c ut or s m aynot h av e b ee n m o ti v ated b y th eir o w n p o li ti ca l o p in io n s. It su g g es ts th at N ya m u ’s pers ec ut ors per ce i ved h i s pol i t i ca l op i ni on s a s threa t eni ng t o thei r f i nanci al i nt e r e s t s . T hi s m i s appr e he nds the s how i ng r e qui r e d t o e s t abl i s h ane xus t o a prot ec t ed grou nd . T he nexu s r equi re m entfocuse s on the ac tual or i m pu t ed char ac t er i st i c of the v i c t i m tha tc a m e t o the pe r s e c ut or ’ s a tt e nt i on. I tdoe s not exam i ne w hythe pers ec ut or has c ho se n t o t ar geti nd i vi du al s w i th thatpart i cul ar c h a r a c te r is tic . Se e I

N S v . E l i as - Zac ar i as , 50 2 U . S . 47 8, 48 2 (19 92 ) ( “ T he ordi nary m e a n in g o f

th e p h r a s e ‘p e r s e c u tio n o n a c c o u n t o f . . . p o litic a l o p in io n ’ in § 1 01 (a )( 42 ) i s per se cut i on on ac coun tof the vi ct i m ’s pol i t i c a l opi ni on, notthe p e r s e c u to r ’s .” ) ; Pi tc h e rs ka i a v . I NS , 118 F . 3d 641, 647 ( 9th C i r . 1997) . T he “ one4

c e n tr a l r e a s o n ” s tan d a r ds e t f o rth in th e R e a l I D A c t d o e s n o t c h an g e th is c o n c lu s io n . Se e, e . g. , P arussim ova v. Mukasey , 555 F . 3d 734, 740 ( 9th C i r . 2009) (usi ng the “ ce ntra l re as on ” s t andard t o d i sc ern am on g m ul t i pl e c hara ct er i st i cs of a vi ct i m thatm i gh thave com e t o a pers ec ut or’ s att ent i on ). F urther, si nce the B IA cr edi t ed N yam u’ s a cc ou ntof w ho t ar get ed hi m and w hy, i t s hol di ng thathe w as no tpers ec ut ed “ on ac coun tof” hi s pol i t i ca l op i ni on i s unsup po rt ed by subst ant i al evi dence. F i na l l y , w e r e ve r s e the B I A ’ s f i ndi ng tha tN y a m u i s c apabl e of s a f e l ya nd re as on abl y r el ocat i ng w i thi n K enya . T he go vernm entbear s the subst ant i albu rden o f r e b u tt i n g th e p r e s u mp t i o n o f aw e l l - f o u n d e df e aro f f u tu r e p e r s e c u t i o n . 8 C. F. R. § 1 2 0 8 .1 3 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( i) ( B ) ; s e e H a s a n v . A s h c ro

ft , 38 0 F . 3d 11 14 , 11 22 (9th C i r. 20 04 ). T h e g o v e rn m e n t’s o n lye v id e n c e th a t N y a m u m ays a f e lyr e lo c a te is th a t h is f

a m ily m e m b e r s r e s id e inK e n y au n h a rm e d . T h e g o v e rn m e n t f a ils to c ite a n ye v id e n c e to sugg es tthatN yam u’ s f

am i l y m em bers w er e s i m i l ar l y s i tuat ed t o h i m or thatthey h a da n yv ie w s w h a ts o e v e rc o n c e rn in g p o llu tio n o rth e e n v ir o n m e n t. See R i os v. A s h c r o ft , 2 8 7 F .3 d8 9 5 , 9 0 2 (9 th C ir. 2 0 0 2 ) ( “W e h av e f o u n dth at a p etit io n er ’s f a m i l y ’ s c ont i nue d s a f

e tydoe s notr e butthe pe t i t i one r ’ s w e l l - f ounde d f e arof future pers ec ut i on w hen there i s no evi dence thatthe fam i l y i s ‘ si m i l ar l y s i tuat ed o rs ub je c t to s im ilarr is k , a n dn o th in g in th e r e c o r ds up p o rts a n in f e r e n c e th a t th e ir5

s a f e tye ns ur e s tha t[ pe t i t i one r ] w i l l be s a f e . ’ ” ) ( c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . T he gove rnm e nt th e r e f o r e h a s n o t m e t its b u r d e n o f p r o v in g th a t h e m ays a f e lya n dr e a s o n ab ly re l ocat e w i thi n K enya . A c c or di ngl y , w e gr a ntN y a m u’ s pe t i t i on f orr e vi e w of

hi s appl i c a t i on f

or a s y l um . F urthe r , be c aus e the B I A ba s e d i t s de ni a l of N y a m u’ s appl i c a t i on f

or wi th h o l d i n g o f

r e m o v a l o n i t s c o n c l u s i o n s r e g ar d i n g h i s a s y l u m ap p l i c a t i o n , we g r a n t N y a m u ’s p e titio n f o rr e v ie w o f

h is ap p lic a tio n f

o rw ith h o ld in g o f

r e m o v a l. W e r e m a nd t o the B I A f orf urthe rpr oc e e di ngs c ons i s t e ntw i th thi s m e m or andum d is p o s itio n . Se e I

N S v . V e n tu ra , 53 7 U . S . 12 , 16 -18 (20 02 ) ( per c uri am ). C o s ts a r e aw a r d e dto p e titio n e r . P E T I T I ON F OR RE V I E W GR AN T E D i n p a r t a n d RE MAND E D; D E N IE D i n p art.