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Similarly, Edward was arrested, along with his father

(a Muslim preacher) and brother, by the Sudanese army after

they organized a protest of an army attack on a Nuba Chris-

tian transport truck.  They were taken to an army base,

where Edward was held in solitary confinement and tortured

for more than four months.  A month after his son's release,

Edward's father was executed at the El Fashcar prison.

Edward immediately went into hiding and a few months later,

in August 1986, fled to the United States.  He did not apply

for asylum until more than six years later.  When asked

about that delay, he explained that he did not understand

the asylum process, did not have access to a representative,

was afraid of being returned, and had been suffering from

depression.

Many asylum seekers are unaware of asylum protection.

Douglas, a student at Nigeria's Ahmadu Bello University, was

arrested and imprisoned by the State Security Service after

he participated in a nationwide protest denouncing a govern-

ment economic program.  He was interrogated and beaten for

two days in prison.  Following his release, Douglas partici-

pated in another demonstration.  After that, the SSS started

arresting all of the participants.  Members of the SSS beat

his father, demanding information about Douglas's where-

abouts, and ransacked his father's house.  Afraid that he

would again be arrested and tortured, Douglas fled to the

United States in 1990.  He did not know about the asylum

procedures when he arrived, and once he did learn about

asylum protection, he did not apply, for fear of not being

granted asylum and thus being returned to torture and perse-

cution.  It was not until five years later, when the INS

apprehended him, that he applied for asylum.

Asylum Representation Is Scarce

Once an asylum seeker has decided to apply for asylum,

it takes time to establish the claim.45  The person often

must rely on pro bono representation, which, like most free

services, is scarce.  For example, it takes the average

client of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights46 14 months

after arriving in the United States to seek professional

assistance, and another 2 months for the case to be assigned

to an attorney.47  Such time lines are typical.

Even after a pro bono attorney has been retained, the

preparation process is lengthy.  Asylum adjudicators often

do not have access to witnesses or written accounts of the