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Fischer faces detention in Japan
Fugitive US chess legend Bobby Fischer could be held up to 60 days in detention while Japanese authorities decide whether to deport him.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:08 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Tokyo:
Fugitive US chess legend Bobby Fischer could be held up to 60 days in detention while Japanese authorities decide whether to deport him for immigration violation, a justice ministry official said today. Fischer, 61, wanted by the United States since the early 1990s for breaking an economic embargo on Yugoslavia, was arrested at Tokyo's Narita airport on July 13 for violating immigration law as he tried to catch a flight to Manila. The US revoked Fischer's passport last December. "Generally, a detainee can be kept initially for up to 30 days. The term can be extended by another 30 days, if necessary," the justice official said. "If the process takes longer than 60 days, the detainee can be temporarily released. We usually deal with such cases flexibly." Immigration violation An immigration official at Narita airport said Fischer's case was still being processed. "He was taken into our custody in violation of immigration laws. Generally, the consequence of that is deportation," the immigration official said. Miyako Watai, a personal friend of Fischer, yesterday said that the chess master had appealed to Japan's justice minister against deportation. Fischer had complained to her about rough treatment by immigration officials, said Watai, who heads the Japan Chess Association. The chess master has been wanted by Washington since his trip to the former Yugoslavia when he scooped more than three million dollars in prize money from a chess match held in Montenegro. He faces up to 10 years in prison if he is found guilty. (PTI)Topics mentioned in this article
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