Zhongyou Zhou v. Eric Holder, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Petitioner Zhongyou Zhou (Zhou) challenges the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying Zhou’s application for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (CAT).

Substantial evidence supports the BIA’s determination that the persecution suffered by Zhou was not on account of a protected ground. The record does not compel a conclusion that Zhou’s persecutors imputed an anti-government political opinion to him. Rather, the conflict between Zhou and his employer was personal. On this record, the denial of asylum must stand. See Gu v. Gonzales, 454 F.3d 1014, 1018 (9th Cir.2006) (articulating standard). Zhou’s “failure to satisfy the lesser standard of proof required to establish eligibility for asylum necessarily results in a failure to demonstrate eligibility for withholding of [removal] as well.” Fisher v. INS, 79 F.3d 955, 961 (9th Cir.1996) (en banc).

Neither does the record compel a conclusion that Zhou is entitled to CAT relief. Although Zhou was beaten during his ar rest, the beating did not rise to the level of torture. See Ridore v. Holder, 696 F.3d 907, 912 (9th Cir.2012) (describing torture as “severe…