an activist from the DRC

The Judge asked:
-show me the original of your party membership card!
-where is the letter from your political party, which says you are a member?
-show me the letter from the doctor who observed bruises and scars

activist from Syria #2

More Questions:
-what happened during each day of your detention?
Did you belong to an organization in your country?
why did you decide to join?
what is the goal or platform of that organization?
What was your role?
what did you do?  what would a movie camera record you doing?
    -standing on the street, distributing pamphlets? walking and knocking on doors?
   -sitting at a computer, sending out emails and talking on the phone?
Did your party ask you to do anything? what?
You sat in a chair, in silence, alone in a room, and had some private thoughts?
=
did you suffer any injuries? NO? then what are you complaining about? what do you need asylum for?
There are physical injuries, which require the attention of a doctor?
Did you suffer "emotional" harm?  Yes? why didn't  you say so, earlier?
=
did a member of your family receive a threat? when?
=
Have you done any political activity here in USA?
Did you stand on the sidewalk, holding a sign?
Why haven't you joined an organization here in USA?
Did you ever voice your opinion, publicly, here in USA?
     why not? don't you care about the problems in your country?
Did your government hear what you said about it, here in USA?
   how do you know that?
  -who says, besides you, that your government has spies here in USA?
If you return to your country, what would happen?
You had problems in the capitol city of your country? why not live in a city 3 hours away?
Wouldn't you be safe there?
Is there anything else?
Is there anything else?
what is your best exhibit, that explains about the problems in your country?

an activist from Congo-Kinshasa

The Government lawyer asked these questions:
-what is the platform of your political party?
-did the party ask or demand that the president of your country do something?
-did your party give you a membership card?
-did you do anything to bring yourself to the attention of your government while you lived in your country?

Does your government control the daily lives of the citizens?
Do you know any similarly-situated persons who suffered harm?
Were you suprised when you were arrested?
Is your government inconsistent at times? one Department does something, but another department does something different?
-for example, the police department arrests you, but the passport department gives you a passport?
=
was there a time, when you were arrested, and the police did NOT hit you?
Is the scar on your leg from falling off of a bicycle, not from being hit by police?
"moral torture" means what?
You went to New york City and protested? your government knows  you protested?
But two months later, the police went to your house in your country to look for you? They do not know where you were?
The government people in NYC did, or did not, give info to the police department in your country?
Do members of  your political party sit in Parliament?

an activist from the CAR

The asylum officer asked:
Show me all of your passports!
Tell me about all of your international travel!
how did you get the passport? walk in, and it was handed to you?
Or, they gave it to your sister, and she mailed it to you?
In 2009, you flew airplane to London? and then to Paris?
What do your parents do for a living?
How do you suppport yourself in USA? do you work without a permit?
=
you arrived in USA in 2013, but you waited ten months to apply for asylum? why the delay?
In June 2013, you talked face-to-face with a policeman? what did he say? can you repeat the words he said?
Did your sister write a letter of support for you? why not?
What is the situation in your country, today, April 2015?
Who do you fear? why do you still fear them?
Ms. Samba is the president of your country? what is her ethnic group? Goula.  Usually, the Goula people live in the north-east part of your country? they are usually Muslim?
How do they know you are not a Goula?
=
Tomorrow, if you fly airplane to the capitol city of your country, what would happen?
Is your government still interested in you, or have they forgotten about you?
Human Rights Watch recently reported that your president was in favor of democracy and in favor of punishing war criminals?  Is this true?
You had problems in city #1; OK, so why not live in city #2?
=
Who are you, in one sentence?  a non-Goula, an activist who supports democracy.
   in the last six months, has one other similarly-situated person suffered harm in your country?
Is there anything else?

Kurdish activist from Syria

The asylum officer asked:
"What is it like, being Kurdish in Syria?"
-why doesn't the government like the Kurds?
Were you a member of any organizations in your country?
are you a member of any organizations here in USA? NO? why not?
What were your political activiites in your country?
What are your political activities here in usa?
=
Did you ever suffer physical harm?
ever suffer emotional harm, as from threats?
ever suffer economic harm, as from having to pay large bribes or fines?
=
Do the Kurds govern their own territory today?
Who are the bad guys? who are the groups you fear?
Is there anyone else who wants to harm you?
=
How do they know you are a Kurd? if you walk down the street in silence, and they look at you, do you look different from others? how? your nose is bigger? your head is bigger? you are taller?
Your accent, when you speak Arabic?
Your name? your first name is what? would any Arab name his son that name?
Clothes? are your clothes different?
=
Tell me all of your international travel!
Tell me the name of each country you visited, and what was  your immigration status in that country?
Why did you depart from Jordan? why did you depart from your country? why not depart earlier?
If you return, what would happen?
Tell me the name of one Kurd who was killed in the past six months, by the government, because of his political opinion!
You had problems in the city of Damascus? OK, so why not live in City #2? how about City
=
ever use any other date of births?
-how did you avoid compulsory service in your country?
Ever get stopped at a road block, or checkpoint? ever pay any $ to get through? how much?
Ever had any contact with extremists?
DID YOU EVER GIVE "MATERIAL SUPPORT" TO ANYONE?
-ever give 3 $, or a drink of water, to a terrorist?
EVER USE FACEBOOK? EVER USE TWITTER?
What did you post? did anyone in your country read your Facebook account?
Tell me all of your international travel, including brief cities of transit!
did you ever join any group?
Did you ever give false information to U.S. government?
Does anyone in Syria know you go to a Christian church, here in USA?

domestic violence victim from Tanzania #2

The asylum officer asked:
 -why did you come to USA?
-you voluntarily left your children behind, to come to USA?
Tell me all of your international travel! all of it, not just some.
What does each stamp in your passport indicate?
Why did you go to Zimbabwe in 2011?
why go to Kenya in 2012? and then, voluntarily, you returned to the "dangerous country"?
You tried to escape from the mean boyfriend in 2010, 2011, but not in 2012? You are inconsistent, aren't you?
-did your boyfriend know you applied for a passport?
If he didn't want you to travel, why didn't he take passport away from you?
Did he ask you about your passport?
Why didn't he ask? is he stupid?
=
How did the police find out what you were doing in March 2013?
How did you pay for your trip to Kenya?
How did you pay for trip to USA?
=
is there anything else?
You say, "in my culture," you must do certain things? like what? what is the penalty if you break the rules?

domestic violence victim from Tanzania

The asylum officer asked these questions:
When did you last leave your country? what does your passport say? why is there a mistake on page one?
What was your last address in your country?
What did you say at US Embassy to get your visa? what address did you give to them?
Do you work in USA? where?
Who prepared your application?
How was your personal statement prepared?
are you aware of its contents?
did someone read it back to you, in your language?
Why did you travel to the USA in January 2013?
What was your plan? what was your intent?
=
What did brother tell you on the phone? he said he talked to the bad guy? what did the bad guy say?
Can you repeat his words?
what did you do, during the last 30 days you lived in your country? what preparations did you make? what did you tell your employer? your kids? your husband?
=
When did you decide you wanted to apply for asylum? why not apply sooner?
Why did Mr. X hit your mother?
What was the plan, concerning your children? who would take care of them? for how long?
What would happen if you return to your country?
Why did your husband mistreat you?
What words did husband say? can you repeat his words?
=
you had problems in the city where your family lived? OK, so why not live in city #2, which is 300 miles away?
-could husband find you in that far-away city? how?
Tell me about all of your international travel!
is there anything else?
You say that Mr. X is angry at you? why?