meow85 said:

The part where the law at the time of conviction decreed that it was unlawful sex with a minor - and not rape.

You can't argue on one hand that extraditing him to face sentencing in the U.S.A. is the right thing to do because "it's the law", and then argue that the law was wrong and the conviction should have been more severe.

Good. It's about damn time.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/C...=rss_world

PARIS, France (CNN) -- Filmmaker Roman Polanski, arrested in Switzerland over the weekend, will fight extradition to the United States where he faces sentencing for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, his California lawyers said Monday.

"An issue related to the Swiss extradition matter is presently being litigated before the California Court of Appeal," attorneys Douglas Dalton and Chad Hummel said in a prepared statement. Separate legal counsel will represent Polanksi in any legal proceedings in Switzerland, they added.

Meanwhile, prosecutors in Los Angeles, California, released a detailed timeline of the Polanski case, which dates to 1977. It indicated that prosecutors had tried to have Polanski arrested and extradited from Israel in 2007.

It also shows that prosecutors obtained a "provisional arrest warrant" upon learning on September 22 that Polanski planned to travel to Switzerland to participate in a film festival.

The warrant was obtained through the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, and Swiss authorities executed it on Saturday.

The DA's timeline revealed that multiple attempts have been made over the years to take Polanski into custody for extradition. Those attempts involved Polanski's planned travels to England, Canada, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Brazil and Israel.

Earlier on Monday, French authorities expressed solidarity with Roman Polanski's family and outrage over the arrest.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he hoped authorities would respect Polanski's rights "and that the affair (will) come to a favorable resolution," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The French culture and communications minister, Frederic Mitterrand, said he "learned with astonishment" of Polanski's arrest. He expressed solidarity with Polanski's family and said "he wants to remind everyone that Roman Polanski benefits from great general esteem" and has "exceptional artistic creation and human qualities."

Investigators in the United States say Polanski drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl in the 1970s. Polanski pleaded guilty in 1977 to having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, but he fled the United States before he could be sentenced. He settled in France.

U.S. authorities have had a warrant for his arrest since 1978. Police in Switzerland arrested Polanski on that warrant Saturday after the 76-year-old tried to enter Switzerland to attend the Zurich Film Festival, which is holding a tribute to Polanski this year.

Filmmakers have reacted with outrage at the arrest.

"As a Swiss filmmaker, I feel deeply ashamed," Christian Frei said.

"He's a brilliant guy, and he made a little mistake 32 years ago. What a shame for Switzerland," said photographer Otto Weisser, a friend of Polanski.

The Polish Filmmakers Association posted a letter on its Web site Monday from the European Film Academy secretariat that protested "the arbitrary treatment of one of the world's most outstanding film directors."

The letter, which was read aloud at the festival, was signed by directors Wim Wenders, Volker Schloendorff and Bertrand Tavernier; actress Victoria Abril; cinematographer Peter Suschitzky; and screenwriter and actor Jean-Claude Carriere.

Mitterrand said he has spoken with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and that Sarkozy "shares his hope for a rapid resolution to the situation which would allow Roman Polanski to rejoin his family as quickly as possible."

Mitterrand said he "greatly regrets that Mr. Polanski has had yet another difficulty added to an already turbulent existence."

Polanski won an Academy Award for best director in 2003 for "The Pianist." He was nominated for best director Oscars for "Tess" and "Chinatown" and for best writing for "Rosemary's Baby," which he also directed.

A spokesman for the Swiss Justice Ministry said Polanski was arrested upon arrival at the airport.

A provisional arrest warrant was issued last week out of Los Angeles, California, after authorities learned he was going to be in Switzerland, Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, told CNN on Sunday.

There have been repeated attempts to settle the case over the years, but the sticking point has always been Polanski's refusal to return to attend hearings. Prosecutors have consistently argued that it would be a miscarriage of justice to allow a man to go free who "drugged and raped a 13-year-old child."

The Swiss Justice Ministry said Polanski was put "in provisional detention." But whether he can be extradited to the United States "can be established only after the extradition process judicially has been finalized," ministry spokesman Guido Balmer said in an e-mail.

Gibbons said the extradition process will be determined in Switzerland, but said authorities are ready to move forward with Polanski's sentencing process, depending on what happens in Zurich.

Polanski was accused of plying the then-teenage girl, Samantha Geimer, with champagne and a sliver of a Quaalude tablet and performing various sex acts, including intercourse, with her during a photo shoot at actor Jack Nicholson's house. He was 43 at the time.

Nicholson was not at home, but his girlfriend at the time, actress Anjelica Huston, was there.

She said Polanski did not strike her as the type of man who would force himself on a young girl.

"I don't think he's a bad man," she said in a probation report. "I think he's an unhappy man."

Polanski's lawyers tried this year to have the charges thrown out, but a judge in Los Angeles rejected the request. However, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza left the door open to reconsider his ruling if Polanski shows up in court.

According to court documents, Polanski, his lawyer and the prosecutor thought they'd worked out a deal that would spare Polanski from prison and let the teen avoid a public trial.

But the original judge in the case, who is now dead, first sent the director to maximum-security prison for 42 days while he underwent psychological testing. Then, on the eve of his sentencing, the judge told attorneys he was inclined to send Polanski back to prison for another 48 days.
Polanski fled the United States for France, where he was born.

In the February 2009 hearing, Espinoza mentioned a documentary film, "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," that depicts backroom deals between prosecutors and a media-obsessed judge who was worried his public image would suffer if he didn't send Polanski to prison.

"It's hard to contest some of the behavior in the documentary was misconduct," Espinoza said. But he declined to dismiss the case entirely.

Geimer is among those calling for the case to be tossed out. She filed court papers in January saying, "I am no longer a 13-year-old child. I have dealt with the difficulties of being a victim."

Geimer, now 45, married and a mother of three, sued Polanski and received an undisclosed settlement.
[Edited 9/30/09 12:02pm]

I can't believe all these actors and directors are actually publically defending him.

I can't believe that muhfugga fled over a lousy 48 days of psych eval.

and that is why she doesn't want to open up old wounds.

DesireeNevermind said:

Right? The judge shouldn't have told that to his atty in the first damn place.

GirlBrother said:

I'm not arguing anything about whether or not he should have been extradited. I don't know nearly enough about that branch of law to say either way. But I do know he admitted to, and was convicted of, raping a child. Even without the conviction, his actions meet the both the legal definition of rape that applied then as well as the one now.

If she was cool with it, why did she sue?

Vendetta1 said:

err... could it have been Money?

Rightly said:

Money talks...

Why did the American sue? Cause she was American


Anyway, he knew he had done something wrong. No one is denying that. He just didn't want to be lynched. So he settled an agreement with the victim. She got her compensation and forgave him. She leads a normal life now. Why does society still care so much after all this time?

I might understand if he was a repeat offender. Rapists can't stop doing it when they have a chance (that's what I heard from prison psychologists)

PANDURITO said:

It does not matter if she forgave him, it is a crime to have sex with a minor and he pleaded guilty in 1977 to having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor but fled before he could be sentenced.
[Edited 10/1/09 4:09am]

Rightly said:

Can I get a real reason now?

PANDURITO said:

How would he have been "lynched"?

He would have went to jail for probably two months and had this behind him. Instead, he's been on the run acting like a pussy instead of taking his punishment like a man. How much punishment is enough for rape? How does one consent to sex while intoxicated and drugged? I'm sure if someone goes and takes a look at the statutes, chances are he would still have this behind him, even if he was given the maximum.

Anyway, I am still glad that they finally got this motherfucker.

Vendetta1 said:

And I'm personally thrilled that apparently it will take months to process his extradition and the Swiss are not likely to let him out under house arrest since he's a flight risk. So, he'll be jailed 3-8 months in Switzerland and then come to states to be sentenced and hopefully face new charges for fleeing.

Vendetta1 said:

...and there it is.

SCNDLS said:

And for that reason, I say FREE ROMAN POLANSKI!

Not because he's such a brilliant cinematic genius. Heck, O.J. Simpson was an awesome running back for the Buffalo Bills, but that doesn't excuse him from abusing his wife Nicole Simpson or trying to steal back his football memorabilia from a bunch of shady collectors. But Mr. Polanski did serve 42 days in the state pen under psychiatric evaluation and was told by all of the authorities that after his evaluation under his plea deal he would be given probation, since he was a first-time offender. But the judge held a grudge against him and wanted to throw the book at him. That's why he fled in the first place.

Now given that he is sitting in a Swiss jail, by the time the extradition hearings are held, he should be given time served and allowed top go back to France, as this would probably fit the original sentence.

728huey said:

Going in for a psychiatric evaluation was not his actual sentence. He failed to show up for the sentencing which by all accounts was going to be lenient considering the gravity of the crime. He was already getting off too damn easy considering everything he ADMITTED to doing. And no he shouldn't be getting time served because if he hadn't fled he wouldn't be in a Swiss jail today. The charges for fleeing that I'm sure they will tack on is a completely separate legal issue.

As far as I'm concerned, and apparently the LA DA feels the same way, he has not paid for his original crime and thumbed his nose at the American legal system. Oh well payback's a bitch and now it's time for him to face the music. So, I hope they take as long as possible to extradite him and that they throw the book at his child molestin' ass when he gets to LA.

1. The fact that the victim in this crime has forgiven Polanski is immaterial. The state prosecutes crimes, not individuals. Certainly, rape is an attack on an individual. But it also an attack on the state - the state being all of us. We (the state) say it is a crime to have sex with anyone against their will. We (the state) say it is a crime to have sex with children. We (the state) say it is a crime to give alcohol and drugs to children. Crimes were committed. Crimes were prosecuted.

2. The fact that he raped at 13-year-old child is not in question. He plied her with alcohol, fed her drugs and had oral, vaginal and anal sex with her - despite her pleading that he stop. At one point, he left her to answer the door, then came back and resumed sodomizing her. That is a matter of public record. And it is rape by any definition.

3. The idiocy of her parents (and it could certainly be argued that they are idiots who failed to protect their child) is beside the point. It was Polanski's dick and tongue that were forced into this girl. The crime is his.

4. Plea agreements are not made with judges - and judges are not bound by them. Plea agreements are often made in cases like this to spare the victim the trauma of testifying. I don't think it's at all surprising that someone involved in this case might have been trying to spare a 13-year-old girl what would certainly have been another ordeal.

5. The 42 days Polanski spent in lock-up was not a sentence for this crime. He was undergoing a psych evaluation. He has (technically) served no time for what he did, since there was never a sentencing hearing.

Lock his pedophilic ass up. And, with any luck, he'll get what's been coming to him all these years.

728huey said:

Give me a fuckin break!

Had the judge given Polanski a stiff sentence, he could have very well appealed it, couldn't he?

And why are we all of a sudden giving a damn when people getting stiff sentences for bullshit has been going on forever?

R Kelly is a child molester but Roman Polanski is misunderstood.

Genesia said:

Genesia said:

Girl, break that shit down to molecules!

Regarding #4, if I recall correctly from the documentary I believe that according to the law at the time she would have had to come to open court to testify against him and I recall something about her identity wouldn't have been protected due to the laws at the time. There was some discussion about her being scared about her classmates finding out which happened anyway cuz the newspapers printed her name in the stories.

SCNDLS said:

So many people have no idea how the legal system works. They think they know from watching legal/crime shows on TV - but that ain't how it goes down in the real world.

I worked as a general assignment reporter for several years and covered federal and state cases of all kinds (including rapes and even one mass murder). I've also sat on two juries. It ain't at all like Perry Mason, Ally McBeal or Boston Legal.

Genesia said:

True! I don't understand all these folks that refuse to acknowledge the simple facts that he has served ZERO time for this crime and you're not allowed to just leave the country cuz you don't like the possible sentence for a crime you admitted to committing.

And seeing Debra Winger who was the jury(?) president of the Swiss film festival actually defend his ass made me sick. I'm done with her ass and Whoopi is on the muthafuckin' fence.

SCNDLS said:

What?

WTF did Debra Winger say?

Can any of these people put themselves in that girl's place? What would they want if it were their daughter?

Vendetta1 said:

http://blogs.usatoday.com...lease.html

Happening now: Zurich Film Festival jury president Debra Winger addressed the media in Switzerland today and expressed hope that director Roman Polanski, who was arrested Saturday over his 1977 child sex case in Los Angeles, will be released as soon as possible. Winger said the festival was used unfairly (Polanski was attending to receive an award). "We stand by and wait for his release and his next masterwork," she said, according to Reuters.

German producer Henning Molfenter, who was scheduled to attend the film festival, says he is boycotting it in protest of Polanski's arrest. "There is no way I'd go to Switzerland now -- you can't watch films knowing Roman Polanski is sitting in a cell 5 km away," Molfenter told The Hollywood Reporter. Others from the film world, including Italian actress Monica Bellucci, French actress Fanny Ardant, president of the Cannes film festival Gilles Jacob and Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, issued a petition demanding his immediate release.

http://www.reuters.com/ar...28?sp=true

In Europe, the Zurich Film Festival jury accused Switzerland of "philistine collusion" with U.S. authorities and wore red badges reading "Free Polanski."

"We hope today this latest order will be dropped. It is based on a three-decade-old case that is all but dead but for minor technicalities," said jury president Debra Winger.

Italian actress Monica Bellucci, France's Fanny Ardant, president of the Cannes film festival Gilles Jacob and Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai issued a petition demanding Polanski's immediate release.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told French radio he was working with Poland on the matter and had written to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Questions were raised about a U.S. government pardon, but judicial sources said a pardon cannot be issued for people who have never been formally convicted of a crime, which is the case with Polanski because he fled before being sentenced.

During a visit to Paris, Swiss Economy Minister Doris Leuthard said the country had no choice but to enforce the international arrest warrant against the director.
[Edited 10/1/09 19:13pm]

I'm done with her and Monica Bellucci.

uPtoWnNY said:

No one over there has the balls to actually speak the truth, because they are worried about their next gig, thats about it

Producer Harvey Weinstein said about this arrest that Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion… We were the people who did the fundraising telethon for the victims of 9/11. We were there for the victims of Katrina and any world catastrophe.



Those are the same people who are singin’ Woody Allen’s praises even after he married his own adopted daughter, and then turned around and played the morality role on R.Kelly.

Its money, its greed,,,,,and children are the ones who take the fall.

Well intentioned liberals are some funny mofos, ain't they?