Asylum officer questions asked September 2025, of an activist from the Ivory Coast:

Do you remember what your WRITTEN STATEMENT is? How did you prepare it? did anyone help you? how did he help you? He looked at your statement, put it into chrono-logical order, and made it shorter?

Can you repeat page one of Form I-589, without looking at it? when did you last depart from your country? when enter USA?

Your wife is the same ethnic group and religion as you? How come she did not suffer physical harm?

Were you harmed or threatened in your country? [being threatened is harm, isn't it? YES. This is an awkward question from the officer? 

How many times were you harmed? You say you were harmed every day, because everyday there was a risk or danger of being arbitrarily arrested? Every day there was a "threat" of being arrested? So, you suffered emotional harm every day? 365 days in a year? So, in 2024, you suffered harm 365 times?

How many times did you suffer physical harm? When was the first time? the last time? which was the worst ?

A man hit you? what was he wearing on his feet? pants? shirt? head? what insignia or emblems or letters were on his shirt?

What words did he say? why did he hit you? What weapons did he have? Using his baton, he hit you on your right leg? on your upper back? where else? any blood come out? did you seek medical care? why not?

Who harmed you? He worked for whom? Why do you think that? How did he harm you? [you already answered this question, but I am asking again, for some reason]

You were harmed physically? Were you harmed in any other way? Emotionally? Any effects of it, today, in September 2025?

"Partisan" is a word in English? what does it mean to you?

What were your injuries?

A threat can be direct and personal: a man stands in front of you, and says, "If you give me bad answers, I will hit you on the head with my baton"?

That threat is direct, personal, and verbal?

Is this a threat: "You will see what can happen."?

A man stands in front of you, in a uniform, with a gun. He says, "Stop protesting." That is an indirect threat? He did not say, expressly, out loud, "I will hit you," but you believed he might do that?

You were harmed physically in 2024? tell me about it. Tell me about your emotional harm in 2023. Do you notice that I am not asking questions in chronological order, and that I am repeating questions? So what: answer anyway!

Every event happened in a certain month, year, and city? Can you put month/year/city in your answers? Do you know your own history? can you repeat it? Do I know the contents of your Written Statement better than you do? Is that embarrasssing to you?

Why did you join the GPS party? what was its platform? What did you do for the party? If someone made a video of you, doing your work, what would be in the video? You sitting on a chair, listening to someone else talk? You sitting at a desk, typing into a computer? You marching and chanting on the street?

After the soldier hit you, did you report that to the police? why not? Were the police able to protect you? Was there another government entity that could protect you?

A man in a T-shirt hit you? How do you know he worked for the government? Does the government hire homeless men, on a part time basis, and tell them to beat up protesters?

What would happen if you return to your country, tomorrow? Why would that happen?

Your government hates you? So why did they re-new your passport? Why did they let you depart from the airport? How much was the bribe you paid? how did you pay the bribe? did you hand him cash, in public?

Is your government still interested in you? Have they contacted your family in the last six months? So, they have forgotten about you, yes?

What are your political activities in the USA? does your government know what you are doing here? How would they know? Did you receive any threats, here in the USA?

did you ever give food, shelter, or transportation to a member of a violent group? What is "material support"? If you don't know what it is, how can you answer questions about it?

Did you ever violate the laws of your country? Do you need a permit, to have a protest?