Opinion ID: 2974828
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Petitioner offered the following testimony at his removal hearing in Cincinnati. Petitioner was born in Albania in 1968. His father and sister were arrested when he was six years old. His cousin was later arrested for political reasons and, in 1985, another cousin was shot and killed at the Albanian border. At the age of 15, petitioner applied to attend a soccer school, which had been his lifelong dream, but his application was denied. When he turned eighteen, petitioner was placed in military service for two years. On December 26, 1990, petitioner and some friends had just completed a game of soccer in petitioner’s hometown when they decided to go downtown to relax. As petitioner arrived in the downtown area, police began to arrive in riot gear, and a large crowd of people—approximately 1,500—gathered in the area. The people had gathered to protest the police and demand that the government give up power. The police began beating people and using plastic bullets to break up the crowd. Petitioner was struck in the head, causing him to fall down and rendering him unconscious. When he awoke, he was being transported to a military hospital. At the hospital, he was handcuffed and was held in custody there with approximately 200 other people from the riot. After three days at the hospital, where he received no medical treatment, petitioner was released when a group of townspeople attacked the hospital and freed the prisoners. Upon his release, petitioner was afraid to return home, so he and a friend decided to walk to the Greek border. Petitioner and his friend were fired upon by an Albanian soldier No. 06-3075 3 as they crossed the border—petitioner explained that it was routine for Albanian soldiers to fire upon people crossing the border—but he and his friend made it safely to Greece. For the next ten years, petitioner lived in Greece at his father-in-law’s house. He worked fairly regularly, but had no legal status and was occasionally forced to pay bribes in order to prevent being sent back to Albania. In January of 2001, petitioner obtained a false passport and flew to Mexico. He soon crossed the border into Texas and came to Columbus, Ohio to be with his sister. The INS eventually discovered petitioner in Ohio and instituted proceedings to have him removed from the country. At his removal hearing, petitioner additionally asserted that his friend who accompanied him from Albania into Greece eventually returned to Albania in 1997 or 1998 to attend his sister’s wedding. Petitioner’s friend was gunned down in front of his house by men wearing masks. Petitioner was told by his father that his friend was killed by an organization called BRISK, a secret paramilitary organization of the Albanian government. Members of BRISK also came to petitioner’s house shortly after the 1990 riot in order to collect photographs and other personal effects of petitioner. Petitioner asserts that the situation in Albania is almost the same as it was before the 1990 riot.