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."
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