Sibanda v. Holder, No. 14-2157 (7th Cir. 2015)
Annotate this CaseSibanda arrived in the U.S. on a non‐immigrant visa. She sought asylum in 2009, claiming that, after her husband died, her brother‐in‐law attempted to rape her and force her to become his second wife, in accordance with the custom of “bride‐price” practiced by several tribes. Sibanda testified that Zimbabwean law did not protect her; when she sought help from the police, they told her that they would not intervene in a family matter. Her family and her tribal chief insisted that she was bound by the custom. The IJ denied relief, finding that Sibanda credibly had testified that a bride‐price had been paid for her marriage. He did not address the credibility of her testimony about her duties to and attacks by her brother-in-law, but concluded that Sibanda’s failure adequately to corroborate her testimony meant that she had not demonstrated past persecution. She had not presented a country report or “any statements from any authority or anyone else who was aware” of the attacks. The Board of Immigration Appeals also found her account credible, but dismissed her appeal for insufficient corroboration. The Seventh Circuit remanded; the Board did not adequately consider whether more corroborating information was reasonably available to Sibanda.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.