Daniiar Santashbekov v. Loretta Lynch, No. 15-2359 (7th Cir. 2016)
Annotate this CaseIn 2013, Santashbekov applied for asylum claiming that he faced persecution for his political activism as a member of the youth wing of the Ata Meken party in his native Kyrgyzstan, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42), 1158(b)(1)(A). After the 2010 revolution, according to the U.S. State Department, Kyrgyzstan continued to face instability and human rights problems, including arbitrary arrests and torture by law enforcement and security forces. The immigration judge characterized Santashbekov’s testimony about his own situation as “vague” and “extremely confusing.” Santashbekov testified that he had experienced persecution by Kurmanov, who Santashbekov believes is a member of an opposing political party and a police or government official; Kurmanov and his associates asked him to repudiate Ata Meken and detained and beat him several times in 2011. Santashbekov changed his address and his name, which was formerly Sultanhodzhaev. He submitted hospital paperwork that confirms that he received medical treatment in Kyrgyzstan corresponding to the beatings he described. He submitted criminal court documents showing that Kurmanov was prosecuted and that Santashbekov was named as a “plaintiff” in the proceeding. The Board affirmed the immigration judge’s denial, also noting inconsistencies in Santashbekov’s testimony. The Seventh Circuit upheld the denial as supported by substantial evidence.
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