Opinion ID: 789444
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether Karouni Has Been Outed to the Authorities

Text: 38 The IJ faulted Karouni for failing to provide evidence to corroborate that he had been identified as a homosexual to the authorities by either his former homosexual partner, Mahmoud, or the friends with whom he attended dinner parties in Lebanon in 1992. This finding is not supported by substantial evidence either. First, Karouni did not speculate that he has been identified to the authorities as a homosexual. Rather, Karouni testified that his friend and Mahmoud's cousin, Toufic, told him that his name had been submitted to the authorities as a homosexual. The IJ stated that Karouni should have obtained affidavits from Toufic or other friends in Lebanon to corroborate Karouni's testimony. However, requiring Karouni to obtain corroborating affidavits, as noted above, runs afoul of our case law recognizing that, when an applicant presents credible testimony — as Karouni did here — [n]o further corroboration is required. Salaam v. INS, 229 F.3d 1234, 1239 (9th Cir.2000) (internal quotations omitted). 39 Additionally, as we noted earlier, see supra note 14, Karouni's Fall 1984 encounter with armed Amal militia-men in his apartment refutes the IJ's suspicion that Karouni has not been outed. We can surmise no reason why, if Karouni was not suspected of being a homosexual, armed Amal militia-men came to his apartment to interrogate him about being a homosexual. 40 Finally, even if corroborative evidence was required — which it is not — Karouni did provide documentary evidence that tends to corroborate his testimony that he had been identified by the Lebanese authorities as a homosexual. Karouni provided a declaration from a Lebanese doctor, Dr. Mobassaleh, who attended the American University of Beirut with Karouni and shared Karouni's network of homosexual friends. Dr. Mobassaleh's declaration states that Karouni's homosexuality is no secret among certain circles in Lebanon, despite all his efforts to keeping it so. For this reason, Dr. Mobassaleh declared, I very much fear for Mr. Karouni's life and safety in Lebanon. While Dr. Mobassaleh's declaration is not clear as to precisely who knows of Karouni's homosexuality, Dr. Mobassaleh's remark that individuals know  despite all [Karouni's] efforts  indicates that at least some of the individuals who know of Karouni's homosexuality are individuals who Karouni would not want to know of it. We find this ambiguity of little practical consequence because, as the evidence in the record establishes, Karouni's would — be persecutors appear sufficiently capable of sleuthing — out their victims. That Karouni's homosexuality is no secret in Lebanon places him sufficiently at risk of future persecution for his fear to be well-founded. 41