Ali

Fijian Jannif Ali, a Muslim and ethnic Indian, petitions for review of agency deci sions denying his application for asylum, withholding of removal, relief under the Convention Against Torture, and his motion to reopen. We grant the petitions for review.

I

In this case, we revisit the “severe mistreatment that [Indo-Fijians] have suffered in their adopted country.” Gafoor v. INS, 231 F.3d 645, 647 (9th Cir.2000), superseded by statute, Real ID Act of 2005, Pub.L. No. 109-13, as recognized in Parussimova v. Mukasey, 533 F.3d 1128, 1133 (9th Cir.2008). In 1987, the Fijian Alliance Party, which had governed Fiji since independence, lost the general election to the National Federation PartyLabour Coalition. The new government had strong support from the Indo-Fijian community. Later that year, the Royal Fiji Military Forces staged a military coup with the purpose of “restoring] the political dominance of ethnic Fijians in their home islands.” After the new government assumed control, the military staged a second coup in 1987 because it had been excluded from governmental negotiations. Power was then once again handed over from the military to civilians in December…