Gibson Dunn Team Wins Asylum for Iraqi Surgeon

Concluding a three-year process, Gibson Dunn attorneys secured asylum for Dr. Thabit Ahmed Abdulkhaleq of Iraq on March 14, 2018. Dr. Abdulkhaleq is an orthopedic surgeon who fled his Baghdad home to escape persecution from sectarian militias. As a secular Sunni, he suffered at the hands of extremist Sunni mujahideen in the early years following the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In more recent years, he had continued to suffer at the hands of Shiite militias operating with the support of the Iraqi and Iranian governments. Gibson Dunn successfully argued that Dr. Abdulkhaleq would face risks if repatriated - specifically due to his status as a specialized physician - as the militias have demonstrated a pattern of targeting medical professionals in their effort to exert control over the country.

The approval grants employment authorization to Dr. Abdulkhaleq, allows him to request derivative asylum status for his spouse and children, gives him access to other benefits in the U.S., and allows him to apply for adjustment to lawful permanent residence status in one year.

Dr. Abdulkhaleq was represented by associate Jesse Melman, and supervised by Richard Mark.