2008 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 10-27-2008 

# T oure v . Atty Ge n U SA P r e c e de n t i al or N on-P r e c e de n t i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 07-1360

F o l low thi s a nd a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi l l a nova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e a nd ope n a c c e s s b y the 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 at V i l l a no va U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit or y

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2008 D e c i sion s b y a n author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i l l a no va U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit or y

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C a rl s on@l a

w . vi l l a no va . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " T our e v . Atty Ge n U SA" (2008). 2008 D e cisio n s . P ape r 324. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi l l a nova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008/324T he H onor abl e A nne E. T hom ps on, Seni orU ni t ed St at es D i s t r i ctJ udge fort he * D i s t r i ctC our tof N ew J er s ey , s i t t i ng bydes i gnat i on. 1 NON- P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

____________ N o. 07- 1360

____________ BA NG ALY TOU RÉ,

P eti ti o n er, v. A TTO RN EY G EN ER A L O F TH E U N I TED STA TES, R e sp o n d e n t.

___________________ O n P e tit io n f

o r R e v iew f

ro m th e B o a rd o f

Im m ig ra tio n A p p e a ls B I A N o. A 97 525 523 I m m i gr at i on J udge: T he H onor abl e M i r l ande Tadal Subm i t t ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL . A . R . 34. 1( a)

O ct ober20, 2008 B e f o re : S M IT H , C O W E N , C i rcui tJud ges a n d T H O M P S O N , D is tr i ct Judge * ( Fi l ed: O ct ober27, 2008)

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OP I NI ON

_______________________W e hav e j uri sdi ct i on un der 8 U . S . C . § 1 25 2(a) (1) . W hen t he B IA defe rs t o the I J, 1 w e re v ie w b o th th e B IA ’s a n d IJ ’s d e c is io n u n d e r t h e “ s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e ” s ta n d a rd . Thu v. A t t or ney G ener alof the U ni t ed Stat es , 5 1 0 F .3 d 4 0 5 , 4 1 2 (3 d C ir. 2 0 0 7 ). W e w ill notdi s turb t he age ncy ’ s det erm i nat i on unl es s “anyr eas onabl e adj udi cat orw oul d be c o m p e lled to c o n c lu d e to th e c o n tra ry .” 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 5 2 (b )(4 )(B ); see al so Thu , 510 F. 3d at412. 2 S m ith , C i r cui tJudge . Pet i t i onerB angal yT our é i s a ci t i zen of t he R epubl i c of G ui nea w ho arr i ved i n t he U ni t ed St at es on J anuary23, 2006 w i t houtanyt r avel document s . O n A pr i l 12, 2006, he s ubm i t t ed appl i cat i ons t o t he I m m i gr at i on C our t , s eeki ng as y l um and w i t hhol di ng bas ed on hi s pol i t i cal opi ni on and mem ber s hi p i n a part i cul ars oci al gr oup, and r el i ef unde rt he U ni t ed N at i ons C onvent i on A gai ns tT or tur e ( “C A T ”) . H e cl ai m ed thatG ui nean pol i ce arr es t ed and t or tur ed hi m fr om J anuary19, 2005 unt i l hi s es cape on M ay15, 2005 beca us e of hi s m ember s hi p i n t he U ni on des For ces R epubl i cai nes and hi s s t atus as an e th n ic M a lin k e . B o th g ro u p s a re k n o w n to o p p o se th e G u in e a n P re sid e n t. O n Sept ember 1, 2006, an I m m i gr at i on J udge ( “I J ”) deni ed Touré ’ s appl i cat i ons foras y l um , w i t hhol di ng of r emoval , and r el i ef unde rC A T . O n J anuary23, 2007, t he B o a rd o f Im m ig ra tio n A p p e a ls (“ B IA ” ) d ism iss e d T o u ré ’s a p p e a l. T o u ré f iled a tim e ly Pet i t i on forR evi ew w i t h t hi s C our ton February2, 2007. B eca us e s ubs t ant i al evi dence s uppor t s t he B I A ’ s deci s i on, w e w i l l denyhi s pet i t i on. 1 I n a s mu c h a s we wr i t e p r i ma r i l yf o rt h e p a r t i e s , wh o a r e f a mi l i a rwi t h t h i s c a s e , we need notr epea tthe fa ctual orpr ocedur al backgr ound. B o th th e B IA a n d IJ b a se d th e ir d e c isio n s p rim a rilyo n th e IJ’ s a d v e rse c re d ib ili ty3

fi ndi ng. T hi s C our t“l ook[s ] att he adve r s e cr edi bi l i t ydet erm i nat i on m ade byt he I J and B IA to en su re tha t th eyw ere ap p rop ri atelyb ase d o n inco n sist en t st atem en ts, co n tr ad ict o ry evi dence s , and i nher ent l yi m pr obabl e t es t i m onyi n vi ew of the bac kgr ound evi dence on countr ycondi t i ons . ” C h e n v . A sh c ro ft , 376 F. 3d 215, 223 ( 3d C i r . 2004) ( ci t at i on and q u o tat ion s o m itted). C entr al t o t he I J ’ s adver s e cr edi bi l i t ydet erm i nat i on w er e tw o m aj or i ncons i s t enci es betw een Tour é’ s t es t i m onyand the document aryevi dence t hathe subm i t t ed. F i rs t , T ou ré pr ov i ded new s ar t i cl es that det ai l ed a Jan uary19 , 20 05 m ass arr est , w hich he all eged t o b e t he ev ent that s t art ed h i s det enti on . O ne o f t hese art i cl es, how ever , s t at ed thatbyJ anuary24, 2005, pol i ce ha d r el eas ed eve r y one arr es t ed exc eptfor o n e p ri s o n e r w h o h a d d ie d in c u s to d y . T h is f a c t, if tru e , c u ts to th e c o re o f T o u ré ’s c la im . E ven i f he w er e arr es t ed as he cl ai m ed, T our é’ s acc ountof bei ng t or tur ed forfourm ont hs befor e fi nal l yes capi ng w oul d be r ender ed pur e fa br i cat i on. Second, t he I J i nt erpr et ed a St at e D epart m entR epor tas s ay i ng t hat , of thos e w ho es cape d dur i ng a pr i s on br eak on M ay15, 2005, onl yone mi l i t arypr i s onerr emai ned atl ar ge byt he end of t he y ear . B as ed on t hi s r eadi ng, t he I J concl uded thats i nce Tour é w as nota mem berof the mi l i t ary , he w as nott he mi l i t arypr i s onerm ent i oned, and ther efor e coul d nothave e s cape d fr om t he pr i s on as he cl ai m ed. T our é has done nothi ng t o expl ai n t hes e i ncons i s t enci es . T our é r el i es on t he “comm on under s t andi ng t hatm os tnew s acc ount s gets om e fa ct s r i ghtand other s w r ong. ”4

B r. o f P et’r at1 0 . H e d o es n o t exp lai n , h o w ev er, w h ythe f ac ts th at he lp h is case are ri g h t, w h il e tho se th at do n o t are w ron g . T o u ré a lso d o es n o t sho w that the IJ’s i nt erpr et at i on of the St at e D epart m entR epor tw as unr eas onabl e oruns uppor t ed byt he r ecor d. H i s focus on t he r epor t ’ s s t at ementt hata pr i s on br eak oc curr ed i n no w ay d e m o n stra tes th a t h e w a s, in f a c t, pa rt o f

it. T o u ré a rg u e s th a t th e B IA a n d IJ im p ro p e rlyre lied o n th e se d isc re p a n c ies in th e ir deci s i ons . G i ven the cr i t i cal natur e of thes e i ncons i s t enci es , how ever , w e fa ul tnei t hert he B I A nort he I J fordoi ng s o. T o u ré a lso a ll eg es n ine in stan ce s o f c lear erro r i n the IJ’s d ec isi o n . A t bes t, T o u ré has poi nt ed t o m i norfl aw s i n t he I J ’ s r eas oni ng t hatw er e i n no w aycentr al t o i t s fi nal di s pos i t i on. N one of thes e purpor t ed err or s do anyt hi ng t o expl ai n t he maj or di s cr epanc i es s ur r oundi ng T our é’ s det ent i on and es cape , nordo t heyot herw i s e s how t hat he w as i n fac ti m pri soned and t ortured fo r four m on t hs. N ot hi ng on t he r ecor d s ugges t s t hata r eas onabl e adj udi cat orw oul d be compel l ed t o fi nd T o ur écr edi bl e. H i s cl ai m foras y l um m us tfai l . Si nce he has nots at i s fi ed the s ta n d a rd f

o r a s y lu m , h e d o e s n o t m e e t th e s ta n d a rd f o r w ith h o ld in g o f

re m o v a l. See L u kw a g o v . A sh c ro

ft , 329 F. 3d 157, 182 ( 3d C i r . 2003) . Fi nal l y , T our é has i dent i fi ed no t hing t hat w ou l d requir e a reasonable adj ud i cat or t o g ranthim rel i ef un der C A T . A s a r es ul t , T our é has nots how n t hatt he B I A orI J comm i t t ed anyerr or s t hatw arr antgr ant i ng h i s P e t i t i o n f

o rRe v i e w.