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.

T he H on orabl e L ee H . R osenthal , D i stri ctJudg e f or the U . S . D i stri ct ** C ourtf orS outhe rn T e xa s , H ous t on, s i tt i ng byde s i gna t i on.

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 AL MA P AT R I C I A MAR T I NE Z GO DO Y, 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. 07- 72999 A ge nc yN o. A 072- 009- 704 ME MOR AN DU M *

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the B o a r d o 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 M a y11, 2011 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia Be f o r e : B. FL ET CHERa n d THOM AS, Ci r c u i tJ u d g e s , a n dROSE NTHA L, D i stri ctJudg e. ** P et i t i on erA l m a P atri ci a M art i nez G od oy (“ M art i nez” ), a nat i ve and ci t i ze n o f G u atem ala, p etit io n s f o r r ev iew o f th e B o ar do f I m m ig ra ti o n A p p ea ls (B IA )’s deci si on adop t i ng and aff i rm i ng an i m m i grat i on j ud ge (I J) ’ s deni al of her 

# FI LED MA Y24 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSP age 2 of 4

appl i c a t i on f

ora s y l um , w i thhol di ng of r e m ova l , a nd pr ot e c t i on unde rthe C onve nt i on A ga i ns tT ortur e ( C A T ) . W e r e vi e w the a ge nc y ’ s l e ga l c onc l us i ons de n o v o , se e C er ez o v. Mukasey , 512 F . 3d 1163, 1166 ( 9th C i r . 2008) ; f a c tua l f i ndi ngs f o rs u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e , se e 8 U . S . C . § 1 25 2(b)(4)(B); and the di sc re t i on ary d e c is io n to d e n ya s y lu m to a n e lig ib le p e titio n e rf o ra n ab u s e o f

th a t d is c r e tio n , se e Ka lu b i v . A s h c r o

ft , 364 F . 3d 1134, 1137 ( 9th C i r . 2004) . W e gr a ntthe pe t i t i on a nd rem an d fo r fu rth er p ro ceed i n g s. 1. T he B I A e rr e d i n hol di ng tha tbe c aus e M a rt i ne z he r s e l f w a s not p h y s ic a llyh a rm e db yh e rp u ta tiv e p e r s e c u to r s , s h e d idn o t s u f f e rp a s t p e r s e c u tio n . U n d e ro u rc ir c u it’s w e ll- e s tab lis h e dp r e c e d e n t, d e a th th r e a ts , w h e n c o m b in e dw ith other f ac t ors pre se nthere (i ncl ud i ng the m urders of fa m i l y m em bers and p hysi ca l c o n f r o n ta tio n s w ith p e r s e c u to r s ) , m a yc o n s titu te p e r s e c u tio n . Se e, e . g. , Sm olni akova v. G on zales , 4 2 2 F .3 d1 0 3 7 , 1 0 4 8

– 4 9 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) ; Khu p v. A s h c r o ft , 3 7 6 F .3 d 8 9 8 , 9 0 4 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) ; R u a n o v . A s h c r o ft , 301 F . 3d 1155, 1 1 6 0

– 6 1 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) ; Li m v . I NS , 224 F . 3d 929, 936 ( 9th C i r . 2000) ( “ [ M ] e na c i ng de a th thr e a t s c a n c ons t i tut e apr i m a rypa rtof apa s tpe r s e c ut i on cl ai m , part i cul ar l y w here tho se threa t s are com bi ned w i th con fr on t at i on or other m i streatm en t . ”). T h e B IA erred i n h o l d i n g t o th e co n trary.P age 3 of 4

G i ve n tha tM a rt i ne z e s t abl i s he d pa s tpe r s e c ut i on, s he i s e nt i t l e d t o a p r e s u m p tio n th a t h e rf

e a ro f f u tu r e p e r s e c u tio n is w e ll- f o u n d e d . See 8 C. F. R. § 2 0 8 . 1 3 (b )(1 ). B ecau se th e B IA h el dth atM art i n ez d i dn o tsu ffer p ast p e r s e c u tio n , it d idn o t g iv e h e rth e b e n e f it o f th is p r e s u m p tio n , a n dh a s y e t to c o n s id e rw h e th e rth e G o v e rn m e n t h a s r e b u tte dth is p r e s u m p tio n . Se e i d. § 2 0 8 .1 3 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( i)

– ( ii) . W e th e r e f o r e r e m a n dto th e B I A f o rit to c o n s id e rth is q u e s tio n in th e f

ir s t in s ta n c e . See IN

S v. V en tu ra , 53 7 U . S . 12 , 16 (200 2) (per curi am ). 2. T he agency a l so abused i t s di sc re t i on i n h ol di ng that , even i f M art i nez w e r e e l i gi bl e f

ora s y l um , i tw oul d de nyhe rc l a i m a s am a tt e rof di s c r e t i on ba s e d on her a dm i tt edl y f

al se t es t i m on y r egar di ng anci l l ary m att er s. U nd er M a tte ro f P u la , 1 9 I . & N . D e c . 4 6 7 , 4 7 4

– 7 6 ( B I A 1 9 8 7 ) , s upe r c e de d bys tatute i n par t as r e c o g n i z e d i n An dr i a s i a n v . I

NS , 18 0 F . 3d 10 33 , 10 43 –4 4 & n. 7 (9th C i r. 19 99 ), the B I A i s r e qui r e d t o w e i gh a tl e a s tni ne f a c t or s i n de c i di ng w he the rt o de ny a s y lu m a s am a tte ro f

d is c r e tio n . H e r e , h o w e v e r , th e I Jc o n s id e r e do n lyas in g le f a c t or : M a rt i ne z ’ s f

a l s e t e s t i m ony . “ W e ha ve r e pe a t e dl yhe l d tha ti n a n e xe r c i s e of d i scret i o n rel at ed t o an ap p l i cat i o n fo r asyl u m , al l rel ev an tfav o rab l e an dad v erse fa ct ors m ustbe consi dere d and w ei gh ed. ” G ul la v. G on zales , 498 F . 3d 911, 916 ( 9th C i r . 2007) ( quot a t i on m a rks a nd c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . T he a ge nc y ’ s f a i l ur e t o doP age 4 of 4

s o h e r e w a s a n ab u s e o f d is c r e tio n . W e th e r e f

o r e r e m a n df

o rit to r e c o n s id e rits di sc re t i on ary deni al of as ylum i n l i gh tof al l of the P u la f a c t or s , i nc l udi ng the p r e s u m p tio n th a t M a rtin e z w o u ldb e p e r s e c u te dif r e tu rn e dto G u a te m a la . See Kalubi , 3 6 4 F .3 d a t 1 1 4 1 ( “T h e r e is n o q u e s tio n th a t ‘[ i]n d e te rm in in g w h e th e rto g ran tasyl u m as a d i scret i o n ary m att er, th e l i k el i h o o do f fu tu re p ersecu t i o n i s a pa rt i c ul a r l yi m port a ntf a c t ort o c ons i de r . ’ ” ( c i t a t i on om i tt e d) ) . O n r e m a nd, the B IA m ust“ st at e i t s r ea sons and sho w prop erconsi dera t i on of al l fa ct ors w hen w ei gh i ng equi t i es and d enyi ng re l i ef ” and “ expl ai n w hatfa ct ors i thas c on si dere d orr e l i e d upon s uf

f i c i e nt l ytha tw e a r e abl e t o di s c e rn tha ti tha s he a r d, c ons i de r e d, and d ec i ded. ” I

d. at11 40 –4 1 (qu ot at i on m arks and ci t at i on s om i tt ed). P E T I T I ON GR AN T E D; RE MAND E D.