Falun Gong Follower’s Testimony Not Credible

BOSTON (CN) - The 1st Circuit denied asylum to an immigrant who claimed he was imprisoned for three months in a Chinese labor camp for practicing Falun Gong, a type of advanced meditation that the government outlawed in 1999.

Petitioner Qun Lin claimed prison guards beat him more than 20 times until he could barely walk when he was released, and it took him a month to recover from his injuries.

Though the Chinese government has a history of persecuting Falun Gong followers, the circuit found Lin was not a credible witness, citing "inconsistencies in (Lin's) testimony concerning the circumstances of his arrest and imprisonment."

When asked why he only practiced Falun Gong about twice a month in the United States, Lin said he believed that "the best way to do Falun Gong was mentally." When pressed, he admitted that he could practice mental Falun Gong in China without anyone knowing. Based on this concession, the immigration judge found that Lin did not have a reasonable basis to fear future persecution.

The Board of Immigration Appeals and the federal appeals court affirmed that Lin's testimony was too shaky to warrant asylum or any other requested relief, "all of which depended vitally on that testimony," the ruling states.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit