Past persecution refers to qualifying persecution that an asylum applicant says already occurred before the asylum decision. It is different from simply showing that a country was dangerous or that the applicant experienced hardship.
Document the events precisely
Create an incident-by-incident record with dates or honest date ranges, locations, people involved, what happened, injuries or consequences, words used by the persecutor, whether authorities were involved or contacted, and the protected-ground connection you believe the facts show.
Preserve supporting evidence
Possible evidence includes testimony, declarations from witnesses, photographs, medical records, police reports, court papers, threatening messages, membership records, and country reports. A case does not necessarily contain every type of evidence.
If an expected record is unavailable, keep notes showing what you tried to obtain and why it could not reasonably be obtained.
Past and future risk are related but not identical
The legal consequences of establishing past persecution and the government's ability to rebut presumptions involve specific rules. Changed country conditions and the possibility of relocation can also become relevant.
Official sources
A lawyer can evaluate how the past-persecution rules apply to particular facts.