Suzdaltseva

MEMORANDUM *

Petitioner Svetlana Suzdaltseva, a native and citizen of Russia, petitions for review of the Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) adverse credibility finding and the IJ’s denial of her applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. 1 We deny the petition. 2 Because the parties are familiar with the facts, we need not recite them here.

Substantial evidence supports the IJ’s finding that Suzdaltseva lacked credibility. The IJ delineated specific problems with Suzdaltseva’s testimony. Importantly, the IJ found that Suzdaltseva lacked basic knowledge of the tenets of the Jehovah’s Witness faith, that significant inconsistencies existed between the facts that Suzdaltseva initially declared and those to which she later testified, and that although Suzdaltseva stated that she feared for her life due to her religious beliefs, she repeatedly returned to Russia after leaving. These inconsistencies were not minor 3 and went to the heart of her claim. 4 Substantial evidence thus supports the IJ’s finding, and this court is not compelled to overturn the IJ’s finding of adverse credibility. 5 Suzdaltseva has therefore failed to…