Bobby Fischers refuge...

[Jorath Calar]

Yay

Iceland approves Bobby Fischer residency

MARI YAMAGUCHI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

TOKYO -- Iceland has approved a residency permit for former chess champion Bobby Fischer, who is being detained by Japanese immigration authorities, an Iceland embassy official said Thursday.

Fischer, wanted in the United States on charges of violating international sanctions against Yugoslavia, has been detained by Japanese authorities since July 13.

"The residency permit for Mr. Fischer was approved," said Maki Onjo, a commercial representative for the Iceland Embassy in Tokyo.

Fischer applied for the permit last month, and his application was approved Wednesday, but it had not been decided when the permit would be handed over, she said.

Fischer is accused of violating the sanctions when he played a rematch in Yugoslavia in 1992 against longtime rival Boris Spassky. He won and took home US$3.5 million in prize money.

He was taken into custody after being stopped at Tokyo's International airport trying to board a flight for the Philippines with an invalid passport. He has said U.S. officials revoked his passport without due process.

His lawyer Masako Suzuki welcomed Iceland's decision and said she planned to meet Fischer soon to discuss whether he will go to Iceland.

"The approval came out of the blue, but it's great news," Suzuki said, adding that a major problem is that he would have to travel without a passport.

Suzuki said she planned to obtain Fischer's consent and discuss the matter with Japanese immigration officials for his release and move to Iceland.

But she doubted Iceland's decision would immediately win Fischer's release and also said he may have to go from his detention cell to the airport.

The Tokyo District Court issued an injunction in September against Fischer's deportation order while judges hear his case.

Fischer has applied for refugee status in Japan. His lawyers have requested his release from the detention center. A decision is still pending.

Fischer has also said he wants to renounce his U.S. citizenship and threatened to apply for German citizenship or political asylum in a third country.
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I can't for the life of me understand how this man is a criminal, he was playing chess, in a country that no longer exists.
Shouldn't the charges be droppped by now? If he is the biggest criminal in the world we are in pretty good shape I think...

[sageridder]

While I agree with you about the charges, I can't help but feel that some of his actions and statments (shown below) could have only helped those that might have dropped the charges deside not to.

Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer

In a pre-match press conference, filled with histrionics, Fischer spat on a document from the U.S. State Department forbidding Fischer to play in the Balkan state because of economic sanctions in place at the time. In response, Fischer was indicted and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Fischer won the match and collected the $3.3 million prize. Then he disappeared again. Then in 1999 he gave a call-in interview to a Hungarian radio station that started off with him answering questions of listeners, but quickly degenerated into an incoherent rant in which Fischer described himself as the victim of an international Jewish conspiracy.

The Budapest station eventually cut him off, but a similar episode occurred after the September 11, 2001 terrorism attacks. Here, Fischer gave a broadcast interview to Bombo Radyo, a Baguio City-based small public-radio station. "This is all wonderful news," Fischer said. "I applaud the act. The U.S. and Israel have been slaughtering the Palestinians, just slaughtering them for years. Robbing them and slaughtering them. Nobody gave a **** . Now it's coming back to the U.S. **** the U.S. I want to see the U.S. wiped out."

[ 12-16-2004, 04:01 AM: Message edited by: sageridder ]

[johnny]

Seems to me that Bobby is a bit of an ******* .

[Jorath Calar]

Thanks for that post Sageridder, I had no idea... and the press here has been strangely quiet about it.
Kind of strange to me now that he was granted the residency, because the current government here is usually very obedient to the US.

[Khazadman Risen]

They can keep the nut case.

[Ziroc]

Moron asspie. Lock his ass up! Feed him Freedom fries! LOL!

[The Hierophant]

He doesn't appear to be the sort of guy I would willingly associate with, but I think the charges are a little over-the-top.

I don't know much about him, I'm not all that informed regarding the professional chess scene. So this guy is a U.S citizen?

[Jorath Calar]

Originally posted by Ziroc: Moron asspie. Lock his ass up! Feed him Freedom fries! LOL!

Believe me he will feel right at home... if there is one thing this country has plenty of, it's Moron ass-pies... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Sir Degrader]

Is he a natural @$$h0le or does he work on it?

[Aerich]

Personally, I think he's got some screws loose, perhaps to the point of having a mental illness. He may have been, and might still be, an exceptional chess player, but that does not translate into intelligence about other matters.

That said, there's no real reason for the US authorities to prosecute him. His "transgression" was minor, over 12`years old, and is totally meaningless now. In fact, I'd just let him slide off into obscurity. A man of his views is an embarassment to the USA. A public trial covered by the world's media would do the USA no good and would utterly destroy what's left of Fischer's reputation, if anything.