Opinion ID: 3053246
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the ij erroneously required corrob-

Text: ORATING EVIDENCE DESPITE FINDING THAT KARAPETYAN HAD TESTIFIED CREDIBLY We begin by recognizing that the IJ erred when she required corroborating evidence despite finding that Karapetyan had testified credibly. At the conclusion of Karapetyan’s merits hearing, the IJ made an express finding that Karapetyan had testified credibly. The IJ concluded, “the [petitioner] has testified in a credible manner.”4 Yet, the IJ failed to credit Karapetyan’s testimony, in part because he did not provide corroborating documentary evidence of his persecution. Pointing to the lack of corroborating documentary evidence, the IJ concluded that Karapetyan had failed to show that he was statutorily eligible for relief. The IJ’s oral decision is laden with references to the lack of certain documents. See Administrative Record (noting petitioner’s “fail[ure] to present any documents establishing that [petitioner] was a member of the 21st Century Party”) (noting petitioner “brought no documents establishing that he was 4 The IJ’s remark that she did “not know what to believe about [Karapetyan’s] claim” does not constitute a specific adverse credibility finding. See Kalubi v. Ashcroft, 364 F.3d 1134, 1137-38 (9th Cir. 2004) (“[I]t is clearly our rule that when the IJ makes implicit credibility findings in passing, . . . this does not constitute a credibility finding.”) (internal quotation and citation omitted). KARAPETYAN v. MUKASEY 12883 [ ]ever a member of the 21st Century Party.”) (noting petitioner “has presented no documents establishing that there ever was . . . a rally”)5 (noting petitioner “did not present his passport”) (noting petitioner “has supplied no documents, whatsoever, to establish that he ever served in the military”) (noting petitioner “did not present anything from his friends at the radio station that he ever gave any kind of speech or talk on the radio”). The IJ denied Karapetyan relief, in part because he did not produce these corroborating documents.6 [1] Because the IJ made a finding that Karapetyan testified credibly, the IJ’s failure to credit Karapetyan’s testimony was improper. We have repeatedly held that, when an applicant has been found to testify credibly, the facts are deemed to be true, and no further corroboration is required.7 See, e.g., 5 Contrary to the IJ’s assertion, Karapetyan had submitted a State Department Report, which states, “[i]n October 2000, Arkady Vardanyan [the leader of the 21st Century Party], a Moscow-based Armenian businessman who is a Russian citizen, led a demonstration in Yerevan of approximately 10,000 persons calling for the removal of the Government.” 6 It is worth noting that the IJ erred in her evaluation of the corroborating documents that were submitted. In her oral decision, the IJ remarked, “[t]he [petitioner] did have some documents that would help establish his claim, but he failed to have them authenticated.” Yet, the IJ never ruled on the admissibility of several documents — including his birth certificate, the hospital report, and the letter from the Ministry of National Security — and instead gave Karapetyan an opportunity to authenticate them through his testimony. Moreover, failure to obtain consular certification of foreign official records under 8 C.F.R. § 287.6 is not a basis to exclude corroborating documents. Khan v. INS, 237 F.3d 1143, 1144 (9th Cir. 2001). Finally, some documents sought by the IJ were not easily available. See Sidhu, 220 F.3d at 1091-92 (“[C]orroborating affidavits from relatives or acquaintances living outside of the United States . . . [are] almost never easily available.”). 7 In limited circumstances, the failure to corroborate testimony with documentary evidence can justify an adverse credibility determination, see Sidhu v. INS, 220 F.3d 1085, 1090 n.2 (9th Cir. 2000) (upholding an adverse credibility determination where the “applicant inexplicitly fail[ed] to present easily available, material, non-duplicative, corroborating evidence to support his asylum claim), but that is clearly not the case here. In this case, the IJ specifically found Karapetyan to have testified credibly. See Ladha v. INS, 215 F.3d 889, 900 n.11 (9th Cir. 2000). 12884 KARAPETYAN v. MUKASEY Kataria v. INS, 232 F.3d 1107, 1113 (9th Cir. 2000) (“[W]e must accept testimony as true in the absence of an explicit adverse credibility finding.”); Ladha v. INS, 215 F.3d 889, 901 (9th Cir. 2000) (reaffirming that “corroboration of credible testimony is not necessary”); Lopez-Alvarado v. Ashcroft, 381 F.3d 847, 855 (9th Cir. 2004). In fact, the IJ acknowledged, “[t]he [petitioner’s] testimony alone can establish that he is a refugee.” [2] Because corroborating evidence is not necessary in the face of a credibility finding, we accept Karapetyan’s testimony as true.