Case #26-0102730
Initials & Country of Origin: T.W from Ethiopia
Type of Case: Affirmative Asylum
Language/interpretation needs: Tigrinya (needs interpreter)
Date of Entry (and status, if any): 02/18/2022, B1/B2.
OYFD: Asylum application timely filed on 03/09/2022.
TW is a Tigrayan woman from Ethiopia who suffered past persecution on account of her ethnicity. Following the outbreak of the Tigray War, she was targeted by government authorities in Addis Ababa as part of a broader campaign against Tigrayans.
Within a week of the conflict’s start in 2021, TW was arbitrarily detained and held for nine days in inhumane conditions in a makeshift detention facility alongside other Tigrayan women. During her detention, officers subjected detainees to ethnic slurs, accusing them of being “killers” and “a cancer” responsible for the war. She was released only after her non-Tigrayan brother-in-law secured her freedom through a bribe.
After her release, TW continued to face targeted harassment. Armed individuals accompanied by a police officer came to her home shortly after her detention, and approximately one month later, she was again detained after police identified her ethnicity on her ID. She was held for several hours and released only after another substantial bribe was paid. These incidents, combined with her visible ethnic identity, made it unsafe for her to move freely or seek protection.
After TW left Ethiopia, authorities raided her home, interrogated her elderly mother, and accused TW of supporting anti-government groups. Police instructed her mother to report her whereabouts upon return and continued to reference TW as a “criminal” months later.
Theory of the Case: fear of future persecution on account of Tigrayan race/ethnicity, and based on membership in particular social group, “Tigrayan woman”.
Note: May need Group AND/OR Duress based TRIG exemptions
Commitment: Review and revise filed asylum application, prepare and file additional evidence and pre-interview brief, and represent client at asylum interview. Work permit renewal.
Interview: Yes
Experience level/case team size recommended: Appropriate for Pro Bono with experience and any team size
Type of Case: Affirmative Asylum
Language/interpretation needs: Tigrinya (needs interpreter)
Date of Entry (and status, if any): 02/18/2022, B1/B2.
OYFD: Asylum application timely filed on 03/09/2022.
TW is a Tigrayan woman from Ethiopia who suffered past persecution on account of her ethnicity. Following the outbreak of the Tigray War, she was targeted by government authorities in Addis Ababa as part of a broader campaign against Tigrayans.
Within a week of the conflict’s start in 2021, TW was arbitrarily detained and held for nine days in inhumane conditions in a makeshift detention facility alongside other Tigrayan women. During her detention, officers subjected detainees to ethnic slurs, accusing them of being “killers” and “a cancer” responsible for the war. She was released only after her non-Tigrayan brother-in-law secured her freedom through a bribe.
After her release, TW continued to face targeted harassment. Armed individuals accompanied by a police officer came to her home shortly after her detention, and approximately one month later, she was again detained after police identified her ethnicity on her ID. She was held for several hours and released only after another substantial bribe was paid. These incidents, combined with her visible ethnic identity, made it unsafe for her to move freely or seek protection.
After TW left Ethiopia, authorities raided her home, interrogated her elderly mother, and accused TW of supporting anti-government groups. Police instructed her mother to report her whereabouts upon return and continued to reference TW as a “criminal” months later.
Theory of the Case: fear of future persecution on account of Tigrayan race/ethnicity, and based on membership in particular social group, “Tigrayan woman”.
Note: May need Group AND/OR Duress based TRIG exemptions
Commitment: Review and revise filed asylum application, prepare and file additional evidence and pre-interview brief, and represent client at asylum interview. Work permit renewal.
Interview: Yes
Experience level/case team size recommended: Appropriate for Pro Bono with experience and any team size
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