UW Law Student, Professor Win Asylum for Eritrean Man

A detained Eritrean man was granted asylum in the United States on Thursday thanks in large part to a student and professor from the University of Wyoming College of Law.

Student attorney Halinka Zolcik, along with her supervising attorney and professor Suzan Pritchett of the International Human Rights Clinic, argued before Judge Elizabeth McGrail in the Denver Immigration Court on Thursday, according to the UW College of Law.

"Today, my client will for the first time know he can stay somewhere permanently without fearing torture," Zolcik says. "I am not happy because I won, I am happy because I helped save my client's life."

The college says Zolcik and Pritchett "faced stiff opposition from the government attorney," but managed to win asylum for their client through good legal work, and with the help of "overwhelming evidence."

"This is a huge milestone not only for the Clinic and the College of Law, but for Halinka as well," the college says in a news release.

"My client will no longer wonder if he has somewhere to live safely," Zolcik adds. "I will never forget today and am so humbled by all the great help I have had to prepare me for this case."