Opinion ID: 680023
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Political Persecution Based upon the Totality of the Circumstances

Text: 60 As discussed above, Fisher also contended in front of the Board that the Iranian regime's search of her house indicated that she was likely to face persecution on account of political opinion because her brother-in-law was imprisoned by the regime, and the family house was searched in an attempt to find his associates. Admin.Rec. at 20. In her petition to this court, Fisher has clarified and reformulated this argument, and now claims that the search of her house by the Revolutionary Guard placed [her] in an extremely vulnerable position, given that she previously had been arrested, handcuffed, threatened at gunpoint and harassed by the military. Brief for Petitioner at 16 (emphasis added). In short, Fisher now argues that she reasonably fears that she might be one of the suspected 'enemies' of the revolution, id., and therefore, that she has established a well-founded fear of persecution on account of an imputed political opinion. 61 Fisher's argument, essentially, is that a combination of factors indicate that the regime's interest in her is political. These include not only her brother-in-law's status and the search, but also her experiences involving the enforcement of the moral codes. We note that this totality of the circumstances approach is a viable means of demonstrating persecution on account of an imputed political opinion. See, e.g., Shirazi-Parsa, 14 F.3d at 1428-31. We also note that it is very different from the claim discussed above that is based upon the enforcement of the moral codes. 62 In the context of Fisher's combination theory of persecution on account of political opinion, the Iranian regime's record that she violated the moral codes functions merely as evidence that the authorities are likely to impute to Fisher enemy of the regime status. More generally, evidence that might support the conclusion that Fisher is viewed as an enemy of the regime may differ from that required to show that the Iranian authorities are likely to enforce the moral codes against her in a manner that evinces an intent to persecute her for her religious beliefs. In addition, the relevant punishment would not be solely that inflicted for violating the moral codes, but also would include the treatment that the regime accords to suspected political dissenters. Accordingly, although it is possible that a claim of persecution could satisfy both standards, this will not necessarily be the case. 9 63 The Board, however, has not yet passed on the merits of Fisher's enemy of the regime argument. Below, it apparently interpreted Fisher to contend that the search of her house evinced a political motive solely because she linked it to her brother-in-law's incarceration, although this is not perfectly clear. Accordingly, we do not pass on the merits of Fisher's reformulated argument, but leave it for the Board to address upon remand.