What was Roman Polanski arrested in Switzerland recently for?
Swiss police detained Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski and could extradite him to the United States for having sex with a 13-year-old girl three decades ago, authorities said Sunday. The controversial Polish-French director, 76, was arrested late Saturday as he arrived to receive a special award at the Zurich film festival. France protested the action. US authorities have been pursuing the “Rosemary’s Baby”, “Chinatown” and “The Pianist” director for many years. The Swiss Justice Ministry said Polanski was being held to await possible extradition to the United States. Polanski fled the United States in 1978 before sentencing on a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. He admitted the charge at the time and has never returned. Sources: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/polanski-detained-in-switzerland-20090927-g7o0.
ZURICH (Reuters) – Film director Roman Polanski, whose turbulent life has come close to resembling the violent, perverse world of his movies, was arrested in Switzerland on a 1978 U.S. arrest warrant for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old. Polanski, 76, had been due to receive a prize for his life’s work at the Zurich Film Festival on Sunday evening, opening a retrospective of his film career but was arrested on arrival at Zurich airport on Saturday night. Calling Polanski, who won Best Director Oscar for “The Pianist” in 2003, one of the greatest film directors of our time, the festival directors said they had “received this news with great consternation and shock.” Polanski’s Los Angeles agent and the U.S. embassy in Zurich were not immediately available for comment. Zurich Cantonal Police spokesman Stefan Oberlin said Polanski’s arrest had been carried out on instructions from the Federal Justice Department in Berne. Polanski was arrested in the United States in the late 1970s and char
Roman Polanski, the award-winning film director, has been arrested in Switzerland on a US arrest warrant, dating from 1978, for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. The Swiss justice ministry on Sunday confirmed the arrest of the film-maker, whose life has on occasion resembled the often violent world of his work. A Swiss justice ministry spokesman said: “I confirm that Mr Polanski has been arrested. The American authorities issued an international search request in 2005 in relation to a 1978 warrant.” Polanski was detained in Switzerland on Saturday when he arrived to attend the Zurich film festival where he was to receive a prize for his work. Festival directors said they had received the news of Polanski’s arrest “with great consternation and shock”, but that they would go ahead with a planned retrospective of his work. Sources: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/09/2009927
