AGENCY-SPECIFIC Agency Mandate Professional Services* Experts** PARDS Reliability Assessments Submit a Research Request to PARDS.ORG Components of a Successful Claim Meritorious Claims by Country

NON-U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY REPORTS U.K. Foreign Office Travel Advisories  U.K. Home Office Country Reports*  Australian Govt Travel Alerts & Advisories  Canadian Foreign Affairs Travel Reports  Country-Specific Constitutions UNHCR Reports

U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY REPORTS Profiles of Asylum Claims & Country Conditions* Country Reports on Human Rights Practices* International Religious Freedom Reports* Issue Papers  U.S. Government Travel Warnings and Alerts U.S. Government Consular Information Sheets Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS)

Country-Specific Meritorious Claims / Confidentiality Warnings List of known, authoritatively authenticated, country-specific meritorious claims. Sources include internationally known and respected human rights organizations, U.S. Federal Court Decisions, and the Agency's case files. Where internal Agency cases are referenced, the petitioner's name has been omitted. The most recent version of the list is available for download here (rev. June 4, 2006 - DOC, 1.07MB). Albania Individuals Targeted by the Blood Feud (Order of Leke Dukajin): [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Government Whistle Blowers: [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Algeria Individuals Targeted for Extortion by FIS: [Noureddine Chaib (1999), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 02-9582] Bangladesh Women Targeted for Honor Killings: [PARDS Case Files] Perceived to have been unfaithful to their husbands Refuse to submit to an arranged marriage Demand a divorce Receiving calls from men who they are not related to Perceived or actual flirting with men they are not married to Christians: [PARDS Case Files] Senior Officials of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Seeking to Remain Independent of the Ruling Parties: Targeted for harassment and intimidation. Case of Suresh Chandra Halder (former Secretary General of the Association for Village Advancement who attempted to stand against corruption within the Association for Village Advancement. (arrest, detention, withholding medication and medical care from detainees) (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 13, 2005) Belarus (PARDS Confidentiality and Safety Warning - Belarus Intelligence Services: DOC, 33.5KB) TO: Belarus nationals, either contemplating filing, or with outstanding petitions for asylum, withholding of removal, or Convention Against Torture (CAT) in the U.S. REGARDING: Right to Confidentiality as a Petitioner, Your Personal Safety, that of Your Families and Colleagues in Belarus THREAT SOURCE: Ongoing Belarus intelligence service operations in the U.S., Belarus refugee assistance organization staffers in the U.S., and Belarus signal intelligence service intercept operations within Belarus U.S. based Belarus ethnic, religious, cultural and social groups have long been targeted and infiltrated by Belarus intelligence services. Members, visitors, and guests are routinely photographed without permission, interviewed by individuals employing pseudonyms (aliases) who proceed to engage you in conversation wherein they solicit your identity, biographic, and other personal information for conveyance to and use by Belarus intelligence services. Ostensibly established to provide assistance to fellow nationals seeking asylum in the U.S., Belarus ethnic organizations staffed by individuals with close ties and bonds of affection to Belarus based relatives, friends, and colleagues render them prime targets for and vulnerable to adverse influence, pressure, coercion, and exploitation by Belarus intelligence services. Refugee organizations can serve as portals through which highly confidential information volunteered by and obtained from and about petitioners and others is gathered and conveyed to their handlers in Belarus intelligence services. Information sought includes, but is not limited to the identity, etiology, evolution, and extent of their party membership, political opposition, activities, residence, education, employment history, together with that of family members, and former colleagues. ACTION: Avoid and do not communicate with Belarus ethnic, religious, cultural groups, social organizations, or attend events (meetings, religious services, gatherings, cultural festivals, rallies, demonstrations, protests, lectures, conventions, etcetera), either sponsored by, and/or at which they will be present. Do not initiate or participate in telephone calls, either originating from, or terminating within the borders of Belarus. Do not transmit or respond to emails, text messages, facsimiles, or written correspondences, either emanating from, or terminating within the borders of Belarus. When selecting an advocate, exclude those with a potential conflict of interest. In the absence of empirical evidence to the contrary one should assume that the intelligence services of your government have both the interest and operational capacity to intercept and monitor all communications traversing its borders, and no less interest and operational capacity to identify, gather information regarding, and monitor the activities of its nationals abroad, particularly those in the U.S. To learn whether your current attorney is providing you with the full range of services required, or a free referral to an ethical, competent, and diligent immigration attorney specializing in asylum, withholding of removal, and Convention Against Torture (CAT) claims, contact PARDS. The time to become an educated consumer is prior to opening your wallet and signing a costly, ambiguous, and generic attorney retainer agreement. Individuals associated with the Belorussian Autocephalic Church: [PARDS Case Files] Anti-Lukashenka Political Activists: [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Brazil Street Children: [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Burma (Myanmar) Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) China Falun Gong Practitioners: [PARDS Case Files] Individuals who import or transport Falun Gong documents into China: (ref: Ling Zhou (China, Falun Gong) petitioner v. Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General, respondent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 03-74712) Women who Violated the Family Planning, One Child Policy: [PARDS Case Files] Men who Violated the Family Planning, One Child Policy: [PARDS Case Files] Individuals who Interfere with the Activities of Family Planning Officials: [PARDS Case Files] Individuals who Emigrate without Permission: [PARDS Case Files] Individuals Accused of Revealing State Secrets (defined in part to include human rights violations, either to foreigners or foreign governments via claims for asylum): [PARDS Case Files] Practitioners of Domestically Based Unregistered Religions: [PARDS Case Files] Practitioners of Foreign Controlled Unregistered Religions: [PARDS Case Files] Colombia Army Backed Paramilitaries: Targeted peasant farmers in Playas Ricas and El Paraiso, El Carmen, Norte de Santander Department for killings, abductions, disappearances. Case of Olver Montoya Caceres, Evert Bonet Quintero, Cirro Navarro, Residents of El Carmen municipality, Norte de Santander Department (ref. Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 7, 2005) Individuals Targeted by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, FARC: (typically property owners and wealthy individuals) [PARDS Case Files] and (ref: Background Information on Foreign Terrorist Organizations, released by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State, October 8, 1999) Dominican Republic Human Rights Activists Working on Behalf of Dominican Republic Peasants, and Haitian Migrants Working on Sugar Cane Plantations: Case of Father Pedro Ruquoy (threatened with death by the `Head of security at a sugar plantation, who is also an army colonel') (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 12, 2005) Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Ecuador Human Rights Activisits: Targeted by the government for `helping communities involved in protests against oil companies operating in Ecuador's Northern Amazon region (anonymous death threats). Case of Lina Maria Espinoza Villegas (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 8, 2005) Egypt Gay Men: (targeted by government law enforcement, security services, Muslim fundamentalists) (ref: Canada Travel Report for Egypt, dated and released May 8, 2006) El Salvador Gang Members (by the government, rival gang members): [PARDS Case Files] Former Gang Members (by the government, members of the individual's former gang, members of rival gangs): [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Trans-Gendered: [PARDS Case Files] Eritrea Military Deserters: [Ukashu Nuru (1997), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 03-71391] Federated States of Micronesia Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Canada Travel Report, dated and released April 12, 2006) Georgia Gay Men: (Homosexuality is legal but not widely accepted) (ref: Georgia, Travel Report, Canadian Government, May 12, 2006) Guatemala Gang Members (by the government, rival gang members): [PARDS Case Files] Former Gang Members (by the government, members of the individual's former gang, members of rival gangs): [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Trans-Gendered: [PARDS Case Files] Guinea Anti-Government Political Activists: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: (Homosexuality is illegal) (ref: Guinea, Travel Report, Canadian Government, May 12, 2006) Guinea-Bissau Gay Men: (Homosexuality is illegal) (ref: Guinea, Travel Report, Canadian Government, May 12, 2006) Guyana Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Honduras Gang Members (by the government, rival gang members): [PARDS Case Files] Former Gang Members (by the government, members of the individual's former gang, members of rival gangs): [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Trans-Gendered: [PARDS Case Files] Indonesia Ethnic Chinese Christian Women: [Marjorie Konda Lolong (1998), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 03-72384] Iran Iranian Journalists and Intellectuals who are Critical of the Iranian Government, Accused of `taking part in an attempt against national security' and `propaganda against the Islamic system ... collecting confidential state documents to jeopardize state security' and `spreading propaganda ...': Case of journalist Akbar Ganji. (arrested with 17 other Iranian journalists and intellectuals who participated in a conference in Berlin (April 2000), incommunicado detention). (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 13, 2005) Komala Party members, a proscribed anti-government organization: Case of Esmail Mohammadi (executed) (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 7, 2005) Advocates for Kurdish Human Rights: (Case of Esmail Mohammadi (executed) (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 7, 2005) Individuals Having Contact with Dissident Organizations Abroad: Cases of Mohsen Bawi, Imad Bawi, Zamel Bawi, Hani Bawi, Moslem Bawi, Hajj Salem Nawi (their father), Asad Bawi (their cousin), Mansour Tayouri and Hassan Boughedar (members of the extended Bawi Family) (held incommunicado at an unknown location) (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 9, 2005) Members of Arab Minority Community living in the Khuzestan Region of Iran: Cases of Mohsen Bawi, Imad Bawi, Zamel Bawi, Hani Bawi, Moslem Bawi, Hajj Salem Nawi (their father), Asad Bawu (their cousin), Mansour Tayouri and Hassan Boughedar (members of the extended Bawi Family) (held incommunicado at an unknown location. Iranian Arabs residing in Khuzestan Region are denied education in their own language, subject to discrimination) (ref. Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 9, 2005) Individuals Associated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI): Cases of Abu Baker Mirza'i Qaderi, Othman Mirza'i Qaderi, Qader Ahmadi, and Jahangir Badouzadeh. (facing execution) (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 12, 2005) Iraq Known or Suspected Collaborators with the U.S. and/or Coalition Forces: [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Honor Killings: [PARDS Case Files] Perceived to have been unfaithful to their husbands Refuse to submit to an arranged marriage Demand a divorce Receiving calls from men who they are not related to Perceived or actual flirting with men they are not married to Apostates (Muslims who convert to another religion): [PARDS Case Files] Jamaica Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Lebanon Gay Men: [Nasser Mustapha Karouni (1998), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 02-72651] Lithuania Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Malawi Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 19, 2006) Malaysia Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Mali Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Marshall Islands Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Mauritania Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Mexico Individuals targeted through `a long running communal conflict between San Isidro Vista Hermosa and authorities of the municipality of Santa Cruz Nundaco (abductions and rapes): Cases of Olga Isabel Leon Victoria and her family, Zoila Reyes Santiago, and other members of the community of San Isidro Vista Hermosa, Oazaca State (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 7, 2005) Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Moldova Individuals Targeted by Police: (individuals are subject to arbitrary arrest and detention, detainees are subject to ill-treatment and torture). Case of Gheorghe Stristeanu, prominent businessman and former member of parliament) (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 7, 2005) Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Morocco Women Targeted for Honor Killings: [PARDS Case Files] Perceived to have been unfaithful to their husbands Refuse to submit to an arranged marriage Demand a divorce Receiving calls from men who they are not related to Perceived or actual flirting with men they are not married to Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Mozambique Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 20, 2006) Namibia Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 20, 2006) Nauru Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 3, 2006) Nepal Individuals Suspected of Membership in/Association with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) by Nepal Security Services (torture, detention, denied access to attorneys) Targeted pursuant to Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment) Ordinance (TADO). Cases of Radha Bhusal and Geeta Nepali (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 7, 2005) New Zealand (Tokelau) Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, January 27, 2006) Nicaragua Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, May 8, 2006) Nigeria Ogoni: [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Honor Killings: [PARDS Case Files] Women who are Pregnant out of Wedlock: [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Female Genital Mutilation, FGM: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Pakistan Apostates (Muslims who convert to another religion): [PARDS Case Files] Christians [PARDS Case Files] Ahmadi [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Honor Killings: [PARDS Case Files] Perceived to have been unfaithful to their husbands Refuse to submit to an arranged marriage Demand a divorce Receiving calls from men who they are not related to Perceived or actual flirting with men they are not married to Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Palau Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 3, 2006) Palestinians/Israel Women Targeted for Honor Killings: [PARDS Case Files] Perceived to have been unfaithful to their husbands Refuse to submit to an arranged marriage Demand a divorce Receiving calls from men who they are not related to Perceived or actual flirting with men they are not married to Perceived or Known Collaborators with Israeli Security Services: [PARDS Case Files] Papua New Guinea Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, March 24, 2006) Peru Individuals Targeted by the Shining Path (S.L), A Terrorist Organization: (arbitrary bombings, kidnapping, narco-trafficking, assasinations) [PARDS Case Files] and (ref: U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Terrorism 2004, released April 2005) Individuals Targeted by the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA): (Bombings, kidnappings, ambushes, assassinations). [PARDS Case Files] and (ref: Background Information on Foreign Terrorist Organizations Released by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, October 8, 1999) Qatar Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, May 11, 2006) Romania Romani (Gypsies): [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files]; (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Canadian Governemnt, dated April 12, 2006) Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Russia Orphans, Former Orphans: [PARDS Case Files] Victoria,Dimitri,Evgueni TCHOUKHROVA Birth Defect Non-Ethnic Russians with Dark Skin: [PARDS Case Files] Jews, Anti-Semitism: [PARDS Case Files] Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men (residing outside Moscow or St. Petersburg): [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Individuals afflicted with a Physically Handicapped or Genetic Deformation: [PARDS Case Files] Sao Tome and Principe Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 20, 2006) Saudi Arabia Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Senegal Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 20, 2006) Seychelles Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 20, 2006) Sierra Leone Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 20, 2006) Singapore Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, May 12, 2006) Solomon Islands Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, May 2, 2006) Somalia All Females (Female Genital Mutilation, FGM): [Khadija Mohammed (not date specific), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 03-70803] Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 24, 2006) Sri Lanka Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 28, 2006) Sudan Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 20, 2006) Swaziland Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 20, 2006) Syria Individuals Espousing Anti-Government Views on the Internet: (detention, arrest, imprisonment) Case of Abdel Rahman al-Shaghouri (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 8, 2005) Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Tajikistan Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Tanzania Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Tonga Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Trinidad and Tobago Women Targeted for Domestic Violence: [PARDS Case Files] Gay Men: [PARDS Case Files] Lesbian Women: [PARDS Case Files] Tunisia Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Turkmenistan Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Tuvalu Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Uganda Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 20, 2006) Ukraine Ethnic Minorities: [Igor Leia (ethnic Polish) (1993), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 03-2420] Individuals Targeted by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists: [Igor Leia (1993), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 03-2420] Individuals Targeted by the Ukrainian Revolutionary Army (Nationalist Party): [Igor Leia (1993), U.S. court of Appeals for the Ninth Circult, No. 03-2420] United Arab Emirates Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Uzbekistan Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, April 12, 2006) Venezuela Members of the Barrios Family: (threatened by members of the Aragua State Police). Case of Juan Barrios, Oscar Barrios, Carolina Garcia (wife of Luis Barrios), Elvira Barrios, Onedia Barrios (mother of Jorge and Rigoberto), Eloisa Barrios, Ines Barrios, Pablo Solorzano, Beatriz Barrios (all brothers and sisters of Narciso and Luis Barrios) Jorge Barrios, Justina Barrios (grandmother of Caudy, Rigoberto and Jorge). Killed: Rigoberto Barrios, Luis Barrios (brother of Narciso Barrios), and Narciso Barrios. The `Inter-American Court of Human Rights called upon the venezuelan State to ensure the safety of the Barrios Family and to provide them with effective protection, as well as fully investigate all the complaints filed by the family. According to the information received by Amnesty International, the police protection given to the family has been sporadic and ineffective.' (ref: Urgent Action bulletin, Amnesty International, September 8, 2005) Yemen Gay Men: (Homosexuality is Illegal) (ref: Travel Report, Government of Canada, May 8, 2006) Political Asylum Research and Documentation Service (PARDS) LLC Mailing Address P.O. Box 667 Princeton, New Jersey 08542 (call for FedEx shipping instructions) Phone: 1 (609) 497-7663 Email: politicalasylum@gmail.com * To receive a non-English translation of any document on this Web site, call 1 (609) 497-7663 ** Country- and Issue-Specific Experts: Claim Merit Assessments; Petitioner Interviews and Credibility Assessments; Affidavits; Declarations; Telephonic and In-Person Testimony; In-Country Research; Claim-Relevant Documentation; Foreign Agency and Non-Governmental Organization Issued Document Authentication; Identify and Correct the Distortions Written into and Significant Omissions Edited Out of U.S. Department of State Country Reports, Profiles of Asylum Claims, and International Religious Freedom Reports. PARDS Web Site Subject Search Here (includes all PDF and DOC files) : © 1993-2010 PARDS, LLC. All rights reserved.