1713567 (Refugee)

The applicant, a citizen of Bangladesh, sought review of a decision by the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs to refuse to grant a protection visa. The applicant claimed to fear persecution in Bangladesh due to his past political activities as a member of the Bangladesh National Party and his perceived opposition to the ruling party. He alleged that he had been subjected to false legal proceedings and harassment related to a land dispute, which he believed were politically motivated.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal was required to determine whether the applicant had established a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of his political opinion, as defined by the *Migration Act 1958* (Cth). This involved assessing the credibility of the applicant's claims, the nature and extent of his political activities in Australia and Bangladesh, and the likelihood of him facing harm from state or non-state actors upon return to Bangladesh. The Tribunal also had to consider evidence relating to alleged monitoring of activists overseas and the significance of letters of support provided by the applicant.

In its reasoning, the Tribunal found significant inconsistencies in the applicant's evidence regarding his political involvement and the alleged persecution. It noted that the applicant's account of his political activities and the threats he faced lacked sufficient corroboration and contained elements that were not credible. The Tribunal concluded that the applicant had not discharged the onus of proving that he had a well-founded fear of persecution for a Convention reason. Consequently, the Tribunal affirmed the delegate's decision to refuse the protection visa.