Opinion ID: 2974472
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Request for Humanitarian Asylum

Text: - 10 - No. 05-4600 Cutaj v. Gonzales Even in the absence of a well-founded fear of future persecution, a petitioner can be granted asylum, in the discretion of the decision-maker, if: (A) The applicant has demonstrated compelling reasons for being unwilling or unable to return to the country arising out of the severity of the past persecution; or (B) The applicant has established that there is a reasonable possibility that he or she may suffer other serious harm upon removal to that country. 8 C.F.R. § 1208.13(b)(1)(iii). As we have ruled previously, however, “in order to invoke this regulation, the past persecution suffered by the alien must be particularly severe.” Pergega-Gjonaj v. Gonzales, No. 04-3226, 2005 WL 1027503, at  (6th Cir. May 3, 2005). In fact, as the Seventh Circuit has stated, the concept of humanitarian asylum was “designed for the case of the German Jews, the victims of the Chinese ‘Cultural Revolution’, survivors of the Cambodian genocide, and a few other such extreme cases.” Bucur v. INS, 109 F.3d 399, 405 (7th Cir. 1997) (citation omitted). Given the high standard that must be met in order to justify a grant of humanitarian asylum, we cannot say that the immigration judge abused his discretion in denying such relief in this case. Despite the significant trauma experienced by Cutaj as a result of the assault upon her, the petitioner clearly was not forced to endure the severe, prolonged indignities and injuries that have been found sufficient to support a grant of such extraordinary relief. Furthermore, the petitioner has not established a reasonable possibility that she will suffer “other serious harm” if she is removed to Albania. No - 11 - No. 05-4600 Cutaj v. Gonzales evidence exists in the record that her family has suffered “serious harm” by remaining in their homeland or that her attackers would ever resurface to harm her again. Cutaj has thus failed to meet her burden of establishing her eligibility for humanitarian asylum.