Hakobyan
Hakobyan v. Ashcroft
Opinion
Lead Opinion
*179 MEMORANDUM **
Masis Hakobyan, a native of Iran and citizen of Armenia, petitions pro se for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) summary affirmance of an Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) decision denying his application for asylum, withholding of removal and relief under the Convention Against Torture. We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We review for substantial evidence, Chebchoub v. INS, 257 F.3d 1038, 1042 (9th Cir.2001), and we deny the petition.
Substantial evidence supports the IJ’s adverse credibility determination because there are material inconsistencies between Hakobyan’s testimony and declaration that go to the heart of his asylum claim, including inconsistencies regarding his encounters with the police and whether his workplace was destroyed by arson. See id. at 1043 . Even assuming Hakobyan is credible, substantial evidence also supports the IJ’s determinations that the events Hakobyan describes fail to rise to the level of past persecution and fail to establish an objectively well-founded fear of future persecution. See Nagoulko v. INS, 333 F.3d 1012, 1016-17 (9th Cir.2003); Prasad v. INS, 47 F.3d 336, 339-40 (9th Cir.1995).