Iskenderian

MEMORANDUM

Rita Iskenderian and her husband and daughter, all natives and citizens of Armenia, petition for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ order dismissing their appeal from an immigration judge’s decision denying them application for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We review for substantial evidence, Li v. Ashcroft, 378 F.3d 959, 962 (9th Cir.2004), and we deny the petition for review.

Substantial evidence supports the agency’s adverse credibility determination because Iskenderian’s testimony was inconsistent with her asylum application and her asylum interview statements regarding whether Armenian police raped her during an arrest in March 1998, see id. at 962-63, 964 (adverse credibility determination is supported where at least one of the identified grounds is supported by substantial evidence and goes to the heart of the claim), and her explanation does not compel a contrary conclusion, see Lata v. INS, 204 F.3d 1241, 1245 (9th Cir.2000). In the absence of credible testimony, Iskenderian’s asylum and withholding of removal claims fail. See Farah v. Ashcroft,…