There is also no evidence that Ilyumzhinov’s actions threaten the US national interests or security in any way.
Ilyumzhinov himself does not hide and never hid the fact that, as the President of FIDE, he visited more than 100 countries annually. Yes, he met with Bashar al-Assad, Syria's legitimately elected President. Moreover, at various times he had met with Muammar Gaddafi, Clinton, Henry Kissinger and other prominent political figures. "Chess is out of politics," keeps repeating Ilyumzhinov, while promoting the ancient game with its main principle: first think and then make a move.
The activities of the President of FIDE - the largest sports federation uniting 187 countries - include meetings with political and community leaders of different countries. It is necessary to advance the game of chess worldwide.
The sanctions imposed on Ilyumzhinov are unfounded and illegal. Moreover, they are politically biased. The point seems to be just that Ilyumzhinov is a Russian citizen and a patriot of his country. This, from the viewpoint of the US authorities, is the main fault of the head of FIDE.
Unfortunately, such actions have become a common practice. More than a thousand people are already included in the US sanctions lists, but none of them did even try yet to protest against the tyranny of the American authorities. Ilyumzhinov is the only one who is ready to prove openly in court that he was illegally subjected to repression. He is ready to not only provide the documentary proof of his innocence but also to undergo a polygraph test.
The sanctions imposed on the President of FIDE clearly contradict with the presumption of innocence and violate the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution. Despite this, the injustice against Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has not yet been resolved, and the lawfulness has not been restored. To make sure that justice is served, it is necessary that Ilyumzhinov’s case would be considered by the Supreme Court of the United States.
That is why sympathetic American citizens have launched a petition on the US White House website, which calls upon all people of the world to put their signatures in support of the Russian Ilyumzhinov. This petition may be signed by a resident of any country, everyone who understands that America cannot and should not impose its will on other nations.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov constantly and consistently declares his commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts and, moreover, demonstrates in practice the adherence to principles of his position. Support the common sense and the law, sign the petition!
The petition to the US Congress and the President Barack Obama with an appeal to investigate the circumstances of illegal inclusion of the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in the sanctions list was put on the White House website.
The US Treasury imposed sanctions against the head of FIDE for alleged "ties with the Government and the Central Bank of the Syrian Arab Republic" on 25th of November 2015. Nearly a year has passed since then, however, the officials from OFAC, which is responsible for drawing up sanctions lists, so far failed to provide any evidence of such ties.
