FIDE Addresses the Arrest of Grandmaster Smbat Lputyan

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has issued a statement regarding the arrest of Grandmaster Smbat Lputyan. Human rights defender Ruben Melikyan has informed that FIDE has released a statement in connection with the arrest of Grandmaster Smbat Lputyan.

The statement particularly emphasizes the role and significance of the Chess Research Center operating at the Pedagogical University. The quoted text mentions, “We would like to emphasize that the activities of the Chess Research Center have long been of great importance for the development of chess science and FIDE's educational programs. This is especially important considering that the 'Chess in Schools' program is one of the priority areas of FIDE's activities this year.”

It is important to recall that several individuals, including Mariam Ispiryan, the prorector of the Pedagogical University, her son, the vice president of the Chess Federation, and the head of the Chess and Sports Department at the Pedagogical University, Smbat Lputyan, have been arrested in an ongoing criminal investigation by the Anti-Corruption Committee.