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particularly men, or feel responsible for or ashamed of what

happened to them.  Many also suffer from nightmares, depres-

sion, and extreme isolation.40

Given that asylum proceedings hinge on the applicant's

credibility, consistency, and demeanor, and on the discus-

sion of the details of persecution,41 the filing deadline

and expedited removal processes in the new law may preclude

victims of torture and those who suffer from posttraumatic

stress disorder (PTSD) from gaining asylum protection.  Such

victims rarely would be physically or psychologically able

to establish their cases while suffering from the mental

disorders that result from their persecution.

For example, Joseph,42 a practicing Jehovah's Witness

and journalist, was imprisoned and tortured in Zaire because

of his religious beliefs and for articles he wrote criticiz-

ing his government's killing of students during a political

demonstration.  While Joseph was imprisoned, guards raped

him, applied electrical shocks to his genitals, and repeat-

edly beat him.  Fearing for his life, he fled to the United

States.  For several months after he arrived here, Joseph

was unable to discuss the persecution and torture he suf-

fered in Zaire.  His representatives attribute such inabili-

ty to a religious prohibition on the use of the words neces-

sary to describe the methods used to torture him, and to the

pain of reliving his persecution whenever he remembered

it.43

Joshua P. Davis, a former advocacy fellow at Georgetown

University Law Center, wrote,

Joseph could not have hurried this process.

He did not know enough to apply for political

asylum promptly after his arrival in the United

States. . . . Even if he had learned about the

asylum system, he needed time to find the help

necessary for him to put a proper application

together.  But most important, even with profes-

sional assistance, he needed many months to summon

up enough of his ravaged strength to explain what

had happened to him.  The very helplessness that

makes Joseph so clearly worthy of his political

asylum also made it impossible for him to apply

shortly after his arrival in the United States.

Joseph applied for political asylum as quickly as

he could.  Even with the help of law school stu-