Ahmed

MEMORANDUM **

Petitioner Munir Ahmed seeks review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming the decision of the Immigration Judge (IJ) denying his petition for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture. The parties are familiar with the facts and we do not repeat them here.

I

The IJ denied asylum on the basis of an adverse credibility determination. First, the IJ identified an inconsistency between Ahmed’s declaration and his sworn testimony. This inconsistency is borne out in the record. In his declaration, Ahmed stated he had been interrogated by police for five hours and then held, while being beaten and tortured, for three days; at the hearing, he testified he was held for one night and one day, then interrogated and beaten for ten to fifteen minutes. This inconsistency goes to the heart of his claim and supports the IJ’s adverse credibility determination because it involves the alleged persecution Ahmed suffered at the hands of police. See Li v. Ashcroft, 378 F.3d 959, 962 (9th Cir.2004). The IJ also observed that Ahmed’s testimony was sketchy and lacking in detail. An alien’s lack of specificity when testifying…