Opinion ID: 2998614
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Inconsistency With State Department Profile

Text: Shtaro next argues that the IJ erred in discrediting her testimony on the ground that it was “inconsistent” with a contemporaneous State Department country profile. She cites our decision in Bace, 352 F.3d at 1139, for the proposition that “specific events of an applicant’s testimony cannot be ‘contradicted’ by a generalized State Department country report.” To the extent she suggests that the IJ’s use of the profile was wholly foreclosed by our precedent, she is incorrect; the error we identified in Bace was that the IJ’s No. 04-4201 7 “entire finding” against the petitioners rested on a broad observation in the country profile that political persecution of individuals in Albania was rare. Id. at 1141. Here the IJ did not rely exclusively on the country profile. Nonetheless, we agree that there is no basis for the IJ’s finding that the profile was inconsistent with Shtaro’s testimony. Nothing in the profile contradicts any aspect of her recital of the events in Vlora; moreover, its statement that the October 2000 election involved little violence nationwide despite assertions of voting irregularities actually corroborates her account of manipulated election returns followed by “peaceful” protests.