Japan rejects Fischer's appeal of
deportation
By Associated Press
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Japan's Justice Ministry on Tuesday rejected former chess champion Bobby Fischer's
demand for protection as a political refugee and issued an order to
deport him.
Fischer, in custody since he was detained by Japanese airport
authorities on July 13 with an invalid U.S. passport, is wanted in the
United States for violating international sanctions against Yugoslavia
in 1992.
A spokeswoman for the Justice Ministry, Yoshiko Miyazaki, would
not say when Fischer would be deported or where he would be sent, but
said that detainees are normally sent to the country where they have
citizenship.
Fischer's lawyers said they had already filed suit demanding that
the order be canceled, and his supporters protested the ruling, saying
the ministry officials who told Fischer of the decision said he would be
deported later Tuesday.
``Even if he is not deported, their intentional verbal threat
constitutes cruel psychological intimidation and abuse,'' a statement by
a group of supporters.
The deportation order is the latest development in Fischer's legal
wrangle with Japanese authorities. In addition to appealing for asylum,
Fischer has attempted to renounce his U.S. citizenship and announced
plans to marry a Japanese woman.
Fischer rose to chess stardom by defeating Boris Spassky, formerly
of the Soviet Union, in a series of games in 1972 to claim the world
championship.
In a 1992 rematch against Spassky, Fischer won and collected more
than $3 million in prize money. He violated U.N. sanctions by attending
the match held in the former Yugoslavia and has been wanted in the
United States ever since. |