Colleen Edwards and Jasmine Sripa work together at Kelley Drye as discovery attorneys. They are currently working to co-represent an individual seeking political asylum in the U.S. The client fled Guinea, Africa afraid for his life, because of his Fulani descent and his political opinions. He has survived a lifetime of persecution, of being oppressed, dehumanized, and threatened for having a voice that expressed views that opposed the government.
Colleen and Jasmine’s client is seeking asylum under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, as he was in danger in Guinea for his political viewpoints and for being a member of The Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), a liberal political party. He and his brother helped organize and then attended a pro-democracy protest at a football stadium in Guinea, a protest that turned into what is now known as the 2009 Stadium Massacre. The government’s armed forces stormed the stadium, using guns and bayonets, while committing other heinous acts of violence against the attendees. Over 157 people were killed and more than 1,250 were injured. Human rights organizations have substantially documented the horrors of that day. The client’s brother received a death threat prior to the stadium protest, where he was ultimately strangled to death. For years afterwards, this client continued to be an active member of the UFDG group and to voice his opinion about what was going on in his country, until he too received a death threat. At that point, he fled the country, leaving behind his wife and two children. His journey required him to use various modes of transportation and took him through eight countries over the course of 10 months before he finally arrived in the United States.
In 2017, the United States’ immigration process was in flux with more changes anticipated. Colleen and Jasmine wanted to use their talents as attorneys to do everything they could to ensure justice for their client. Their first priority was to represent the client at a hearing with U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement to argue that he did not need to wear an ankle monitor. He had been wearing the monitor for months after his release from detention and was subject to the criminal stigma it represented. This small device was a huge impediment to him securing work. Colleen and Jasmine were able to prove his identity, affirm that he was not a flight risk and ultimately were successful in getting the monitor removed. Jasmine remembers clearly the look of relief on the client’s face when it was finally taken off. No longer having the criminal stigma associated with wearing an ankle monitor, the client was able to secure a job that he still holds today.
While representing this client, Colleen and Jasmine learned about hurdles in the immigration process, filled out many forms, affidavits, midnight filings—most of it during the COVID-19 pandemic. While it has been challenging on so many fronts, the rewards of seeing first-hand that Kelley Drye’s legal assistance has helped their client advance through the stages of the immigration process has been worth the effort. The team is looking forward to their day in immigration court early next year to plead for his asylum.
