after the trauma, were you depressed?

A social worker wrote these comments about Ms. R, who was beaten and raped:
-Ms. R told me that she was depressed, that she had nightmares, and that she no longer had pleasure in ordinary activities. She used to like watching birds; but now she sees the birds and does not care about them.

-she told me she "feels ashamed" about being raped.
- she remembers the bad smells inside her jail cell.
-she told me she has lost her appetite, and she has lost weight
-she only sleeps 3 hours at a time
-she is easily startled: she hears a car door slam, and she jumps.
-she is feeling a little better, as time goes on.
-she does not really want to talk about being raped.

if deported, what would you do back in your country?

Ms. Ahmed, from Pakistan, was denied asylum. She testified that she did not want to wear a veil, she did not want to pray five times per day, and she did not want to stay indoors unless accompanied by a man. However, she also testified that, because she would have no choice, she would in fact wear a veil, pray 5x; and stay indoors.
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She did NOT testify that: "I have now lived in USA for a long time. I am a changed person. I have profound opposition to the stupid rules in my country. It is abhorrent to me to have to do those things. So, I will not. Let them put me in prison, and let them beat me. I do not care. I will not wear a veil, pray 5x; or stay indoors. I will not.

not famous or conspicuous enough!

Hua Lan An was denied asylum, even though she protested often in front of the Chinese Consulate government building.

The Judge said: 1] "she was not identifiable in any of the photographs."
2] she did not write any articles which appeared on the internet
3] she did not otherwise make herself identifiable.

did you suffer any emotional or economic harm?

Mr. Alberto Aragon was denied asylum, even though he was detained and threatened three times.

The judge said there was no physical harm. Mr. Zheng was held for five days in prison; no asylum for him either.

Mr. Aragon did NOT testify he suffered economic harm, such as lost income, fines, inability to earn money. He did NOT testify that he suffered emotional distress when he was surrounded by a group of men with guns. He did not testify as to what thoughts went through his mind at the time. He did not suffer from nightmares, flashbacks, or eating disorders.

Auxiliadora Martinez granted asylum due to emotion

Ms. Martinez, from Nicaragua, was granted asylum in 2009. She testified not only about the facts of how the bad guys hit her, but also about her emotions: she testified as to the thoughts that went through her mind; and when she testified, her voice quivered.

She said that she saw two strange men. One of them said, "Let's kill her."

"The first thing that went through my mind was my family. I felt that I was never going to see them again." The two men dragged her toward a forest. She "had a vision of her lifeless body being dumped just yards away."

A witness said that when Ms. Marinez spoke, her voice "quivered."
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We can learn two rules from this story.

#1: The applicant should state what thoughts went through her mind at the time of the event. [WTWTYM] [What Thoughts Went Through Your Mind].
#2: The friend who writes a letter of corroboration should state what he saw and what he heard. For example, "when she told me her story, I noticed that her voice quivered."

activist from Rwanda

The Asylum Officer asked: what did your father do for a living?
where is your brother right now?
Tell me about each member of your family: where are they right now, what are they doing; why aren't they being harassed by the government?
Why did you join that political group?
What are the rules for membership? can anyone join?
What is the platform of that group?
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Were you ever detained in your country?
At the time of your arrest, what were you doing, and where were you? For example, you were walking on the street, you were sitting inside a restaurant, or what?
How long were you detained? how many days or hours?
How did the officers beat you? what weapons did they use? where did they hit you?
Did you see any blood? where? where else?
Do you have any permanent injuries from the beating?
how do you sleep at night?
what would happen if you return to your country?
why would you be arrested?
Hasn't your government forgotten about you?
Are you famous? are you notorious? why do you think your government knows anything at all about you?
Is there anything else?