CEDAW/C/70/D/76/2014 murderer by a sharia court. A few days later, the author managed to escape from prison. 4.4 The Refugee Appeals Board noted that it could not accept the facts as indicated by the author. It submitted that the author could not have maintained a relationship with A., to the extent that her children called the man “uncle”, without experiencing any problems, in particular from her husband’s family. The Board attached decisive importance to the fact that the author had made inconsistent statements on crucial elements of her grounds for asylum. For example, in her asylum claim, she stated t hat her brother-in-law, after killing A., refrained from using violence against her, because she had cried out. At the Board hearing, however, she stated that she had avoided violence by locking herself in an adjacent room. Also at the hearing, she made an elaborate statement on the violence that her brother-in-law had previously subjected her to and presented photographs thereof. When asked why she was only then, at the Board hearing, providing that information, she explained that it was because she had feared Al-Shabaab. The Board found the explanation illogical, especially taking into account that the author had already made statements incriminating Al -Shabaab and that her brother-in-law was not a member of Al-Shabaab. The Board also noted that, in general, the author had been reluctant to provide specific details on the layout of the prison, as well as on the exact way in which A. had died. The Board noted that, in all aspects, the author had made evasive and “sketchy” replies. On the basis of an overall assessment, therefore, the Board found that the author had failed to substantiate the grounds on which she had based her request for asylum, including that she would face probable persecution if deported to Somalia, and that her statements, including the statement on abuse, were not credible. 4.5 The Refugee Appeals Board was of the view that the fact that women living in Somalia faced difficult general conditions was not sufficient for establishing that the author was at risk of torture in the country. The State party submitted that the Board normally did not order an examination for signs of torture in cases in which the asylum seeker had lacked credibility throughout the proceedings. In such circumstances, the Board rejected the asylum seeker’s statement about torture in its entirety. The author’s statement on torture presented significant inconsistencies. On the basis of the foregoing, the majority of the Board members found no reason to order an examination for signs of torture. In fine, the Board found that the author would not be at risk of persecution falling within section 7 (1) of the Aliens Act, 4 or risk inhumane treatment under section 7 (2) thereof, and therefore upheld the decision of the Immigration Service. The State party supports the Board ’s assessment finding that it was not necessary to initiate an examination of the author for signs of torture. 4.6 The State party provided extensive information on the independence, membership, functioning and prerogatives of the Refugee Appeals Board and the legal basis of its decisions. The Board is a collegial, independent, quasi -judicial body. Its decisions are taken in accordance with the international obligations of Denmark, in particular the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951. The fact that the Board did not make express reference to articles of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women does not mean that it had failed to take into consideration the obligations of Denmark under the Convention. The State party submits that the Board always takes those obligations into consideration when assessing asylum cases. In addition, the Board is responsible not only for examining and eliciting information on the specific facts of a case, but also for providing the necessary background information, including information on the situation in the asylum seeker’s country of origin or country of first asylum. __________________ 4 4/9 Section 7 (1) of the Aliens Act incorporates article 1 of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees into national law. 18-13456