A Shearman & Sterling team in Asia has helped a Hindu Nepalese woman successfully petition for asylum before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The woman and her husband suffered torture by Maoist insurgents in Nepal due to the husband's membership in the Nepali Congress Party. On behalf of the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Center, a pro bono team including partner Matthew Bersani (Hong Kong-Capital Markets) and associates Yan Liang (Beijing-M&A) and Ziyang Fan (Beijing-Capital Markets) worked to help the woman successfully qualify for asylum as a refugee because of political persecution due to imputed political opinion as well as her membership in a particular social group. The woman and her husband are being relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Hong Kong Refugee Advice Center trains volunteer lawyers, interpreters, and NGOs in the protection and promotion of refugee rights, and provides legal assistance for asylum-seekers who seek refugee status with the UNHCR in Hong Kong.

The Asia pro bono team is currently working on three additional cases still pending before the UNHCR in Hong Kong. Other attorneys working on these cases include partner Paul Strecker (Hong Kong-M&A) and associates Su-Ann Cheah (Singapore-Capital Markets), Nidia Wang (Hong Kong-M&A), Zina Al-Askari (Abu Dhabi-Project Development & Finance), Chris Flood (Beijing-M&A), and William Steinberg (Hong Kong-Capital Markets).