Fischer receives an Icelandic passport

by ChessBase
2/23/2005 – Immigration authorities in Iceland have decided to issue full travel documents for former world champion Bobby Fischer, who is being held in Japanese detention for not possessing a valid passport. Fischer's new passport will be sent to Japan by diplomatic mail, and a delegation is traveling there to escort him to Iceland.

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Reykjavík, 23 February 2005

From the RJF Committee:

Icelandic Passport for Bobby Fischer

At a meeting yesterday with the Directorate of Immigration (UTL) Ms. Hildur Dungal, CEO, told our committee members, that the Icelandic Authorities had just decided after an advice from the Althingi to grant Bobby Fischer a special foreigners’ passport which would allow him to travel to western Europe, e.g. the Schengen countries. This decision comes after some four weeks of lengthy considerations over his request for Icelandic citizenship at the Parliament.


Sæmi Pálsson, Hildur Dungal, Einar S. Einarsson at the meeting yesterday. Ms. H. Dungal, is the newly appointed CEO of UTL. She is a lawyer and a former Miss Iceland.

The General Committee of Althingi concluded that it would be right to put Bobby’s request for a citizenship on hold for the time being while other possible means to get him released from his detainment in Japan over an invalid US passport, which was revoked behind his back, would be tried out fully. Iceland’s foreign minister, Mr. Oddsson, had already in December granted Bobby a residence permit. But travel documents is what counts, not political declarations. Hopefully this important move will break the deadlock of this absurd affair and generate Bobby’s release after seven months of hardship for the former world champion in confinement at Narita airport immigration camp.

In spite of the official formality of this case, it seems in fact to have been a battle between Bobby Fischer and the United States, driven by some politically incorrect views of Bobby on the events of 9/11 2001 and on the influence of Jews in America today, affecting negatively the Palestinian people among other negative influences. After Iceland offered Bobby Fischer a residency, the US protested immediately at a special meeting with the Icelandic Minister of Foreign affairs. After that meeting the Icelandic officials were stopped from continuing the inevitable paperwork and passport issuance that should have followed the kind offer right away.


The picture used in Fischer's Icelandic passport

When a stalemate had lasted for more than a month, Bobby Fischer requested a formal citizenship that took the whole case to a new and a higher level. Now the Icelandic Parliament was suddenly put in the position of answering the question whether it wanted to involve the country formally into the matter or deny Mr. Fischer citizenship. After weeks of discussion in the Parliamentarian Committee that deals with citizenships, it gradually seemed more and more likely that when taking the matter to a formal vote in the floor, a majority of the parliamentarians would vote in Bobby’s favour. Instead of taking the case that far, the Icelandic Government finally decided it would be better for it's relation with Japan and USA to give Bobby an Icelandic ID number and a valid passport to travel to Iceland, where he had already been offered a residency.

If this measure to help Bobby Fischer out does not work the Althingi will proceed with citizenship. Citizenship by parliamentary degree is granted twice a year, next time in April. Bobby's Icelandic passport has now already been processed and will be sent by a diplomatic mail to the Icelandic Embassy in Tokyo and handed over by the Ambassador in due course.

Saemi Palsson, Bobby´s old friend and bodyguard, with another member from our group as a second will be traveling to Japan in a couple of days with the intention to escort Bobby Fischer to Iceland, hopefully next week.

After a very long and tiresome middle game, we now anticipate the endgame is won.

Einar S. Einarsson


Previous ChessBase articles

Fischer's lawyer Masako Suzuki speaks out
02.02.2005 Is Japan buckling under pressure by the US? Bobby Fischer, 61, former World Champion of Chess who has been jailed in Japan for six months now, is applying for Icelandic citizenship. But Tokyo seems to be balking at a constructive solution entailing his release to Iceland. Fischer's lawyer Masako Suzuki has given us an exclusive interview.

Bobby Fischer applies for Icelandic Citizenship
25.01.2005 After the Japanese authorities last week refused Fischer's request to be extradited to Iceland the chess legend, who is being held in a Japanese detention facility, has today written to the President of the Icelandic Althingi (picture), applying for Icelandic citizenship. A special law would have to be passed to grant Fischer's request.

Bobby Fischer – immigration plans on ice
22.01.2005 His supporters filed a petition that Fischer might be released from detention in a Tokyo jail and allowed to travel to Iceland, where he has been granted refuge. But Japanese Justice Ministry lawyers said they were not prepared to change Fischer's deportation destination to Iceland, and that he would have to remain in detention. A harsh blow for the chess legend.

Bobby Fischer – six months in jail
1/17/2005 On July 13, 2004 he was arrested at Narita Airport in Tokyo, for attempting to leave the country on an invalidated. Since then the greatest hero of Western chess has been languishing in a Japanese detention facility, now physically exhausted and suffering from dizzy spells. His Icelandic friends, who are offering him refuge, have launched another appeal to the authorities.

US threatens Iceland, Fischer Committee appeals
22.12.2004 Iceland is under US pressure to drop plans to offer a home to fugitive former chess champion Bobby Fischer, the Reuters news agency tells us. But the Icelandic government has stated that its offer "will not be withdrawn despite pressure from the United States." How do we know that? Among other things we read it in Aljazeera, would you believe? Here's the latest on this international confrontation.

RJF Committee mobilizes pro-Fischer forces
18.12.2004 While Bobby Fischer remains incarcerated in a Japanese prison a special committee in Iceland is moving to get him free and find him a home on the North-Atlantic island country. Iceland's foreign minister and a prominent political scientist have spoken out. Here's a report on Fischer's Iceland Connection...
Fischer to get refuge in Iceland?
12/16/2004 The news today on Bobby Fischer, who is currently being held in a Japanese detention facilities pending extradition to the US, is that the Icelandic government has offered to grant him a residence permit. In a telephone interview Fischer speaks about his plight in Japan and reacts to statements by Garry Kasparov on Fischer Random Chess. Full details...
Returning to the 'scene of the crime'
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