Opinion ID: 2980886
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Petitioners’ Merits Hearing

Text: On April 30, 2008, Petitioners appeared with counsel before an IJ for their merits hearing.1 A.R. 136-225. Petitioners offered four witnesses in support of their claims: Geagea, Raji, Joe 1 The four-year gap between Petitioners’ master calendar hearing and their merits hearing occurred for a variety of reasons, including: the need for Petitioners’ fingerprints needed to be taken, A.R. 119; Petitioners’ request for time to update their asylum application, A.R. 128, which they filed on July 12, 2007, A.R. 133; and a scheduling hearing, A.R. 131-34. -2- No. 10-3084 Jihad Geagea, et al. v. Eric Holder Geagea (“Joe”), and Elie Abdallah (“Abdallah”). Id.; see also A.R. 97. Only Geagea and Raji, however, provided relevant testimony; both Joe and Abdallah were in the United States at all material times, and they were unable to provide any specific information regarding either Petitioners’ case or Lebanon. See A.R. 200-02 (Joe’s testimony); A.R. 205-11 (Abdallah’s testimony); Pet. Brief at 7 (effectively conceding both Joe and Abdallah’s testimony as irrelevant).
Geagea testified that he lived in Jdeideh and worked for the Lebanese Forces2 as the bodyguard for Samir Geagea (“Samir”) from 1985 until Samir was jailed by the Syrian Hezbollah. See A.R. 152-53; A.R. 155; A.R. 167; A.R. 169-70. Geagea repeatedly maintained that his employment with the Lebanese Forces lasted between six and seven years, and that his employment terminated upon Samir’s arrest. A.R. 155; A.R. 167. Consistent with this timeline, Geagea asserted that his services with the Lebanese Forces terminated in 1991 or 1992. A.R. 168. Geagea also testified, however, that he was still working for the Lebanese Forces as late as 1994, A.R. 155, and that Samir’s eleven years’ imprisonment ended in 2005 or 2006. A.R. 170. When presented with these inconsistencies, Geagea backtracked, saying: “I don’t remember the exact date . . . 50 percent I don’t remember, because I don’t memorize the dates.” A.R. 170. See also A.R. 171. Geagea further testified that, after Samir was jailed, he “escaped [and] went up to the mountains” in Deir al Ahmar for 15 or 20 days. A.R. 178-80. Geagea then testified that he returned to Jdeideh and worked in his father’s store until leaving for the United States in 2000. A.R. 168. 2 Geagea described the Lebanese Forces as a paramilitary “political and military” organization that “defend[ed] the Lebanese army” and the “Christian Lebanese in Lebanon.” A.R. 165. -3- No. 10-3084 Jihad Geagea, et al. v. Eric Holder Geagea further alleged that during this time period the Syrian Hezbollah kidnapped him four times and tortured him because he was a Christian. A.R. 156-57. Geagea asserted that his longest period of arrest was approximately 11 hours, A.R. 175, but he was unable to recall any dates or even offer a detailed chronology. See A.R. 158; A.R. 172-74. Next, Geagea testified that he “used to be beaten on [his] hands,” but he did not seek medical treatment because he could not afford it. A.R. 175. Instead, Geagea explained, he would take “one tablet of Panadol, sleep – Tylenol or Panadol and sleep for two hours.” Id. Geagea admitted that he never required stitches and he never suffered a concussion or broken bones. Id. Geagea also testified that he, Raji, and Jad traveled to Syria to obtain their American visas approximately four months before traveling to the United States. A.R. 162-64. Geagea described his family’s passage from Lebanon to Syria as seamless, enabling them to make the trip across the border and back on the same day. A.R. 162-63.
Raji testified that Geagea terminated his employment with the Lebanese Forces in 1994. A.R. 197. Raji further testified that Geagea was kidnapped four times after Samir was arrested. A.R. 196. When asked for the date of the first time Geagea was arrested, Raji offered: “I could remember the year. It would be 1994, 1995.” Id. Raji was then confronted with the fact that all of her family’s asylum applications listed the date of Samir’s arrest as 1996. Id. Raji replied: “My husband doesn’t know — didn’t memorize dates. He was (indiscernible) too many incidents. It could be about the same, 1994 or 1995 that Samir Geagea was arrested.” Id. The following dialogue then ensued: -4- No. 10-3084 Jihad Geagea, et al. v. Eric Holder Q: So when your husband said — told us that he was employed by the Lebanese Forces for six to seven years, that was, in your experience, not true? A: Six to seven years he was bodyguard for [Samir], but before that he belong to the Lebanese Forces without being a bodyguard. . . . Q: And, ma’am, do you recall whether your husband ever departed from the family home for any length of time? . . . A: First time when he went with Samir . . . he went for five days. Q: He was arrested and away from the family home for five days? A: Yes. . . . Q: Okay. Now, ma’am, do you recall whether your husband was gone for the – gone from the family home for more than five days during your marriage on any occasion, for any reason whatsoever, whether he was arrested or for any other reason? A. No. A.R. 197-99.