Roman Polanski arrested in Switzerland
The Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski has been taken into custody in Switzerland after travelling to collect an award at the Zurich film festival.
The festival organisers, who had been due to give the 76-year-old director a lifetime achievement award, did not give details of the arrest, but it is believed to be over a 31-year-old US arrest warrant. The director fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.
Polanski was detained by police yesterday as he travelled from France to Switzerland to receive his award.
A Zurich police spokesman, Stefan Oberlin, confirmed Polanski's arrest, but refused to provide more details because he said it was a matter for the Swiss justice ministry. A ministry spokesman, Guido Balmer, declined to comment.
In a statement, the festival organisers said they had "learned of his arrest with great dismay and sadness", but stressed that they would go ahead with a planned retrospective of his work and present the award on another date.
Polanski, who directed classic films including "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby", recently sought dismissal of his case on grounds of misconduct by the late judge who arranged a plea bargain and later reneged on it.
In February, Judge Peter Espinoza agreed there had been misconduct by the judge in the original case, but said Polanski must return to the US to apply for dismissal.
His lawyers said he would not return because he is considered to be a fugitive. He has not set foot in the US for 30 years, and has avoided going to countries, such as the UK, that have an extradition treaty with the US.
Polanski, who was born in Paris, has lived in France for the past 30 years and his career has continued to flourish.
He won an Oscar for his 2002 film "The Pianist", with the award collected on his behalf by the actor Harrison Ford.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/sep/27/roman-polanski-switzerland-custody
The Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski has been taken into custody in Switzerland after travelling to collect an award at the Zurich film festival.
The festival organisers, who had been due to give the 76-year-old director a lifetime achievement award, did not give details of the arrest, but it is believed to be over a 31-year-old US arrest warrant. The director fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.
Polanski was detained by police yesterday as he travelled from France to Switzerland to receive his award.
A Zurich police spokesman, Stefan Oberlin, confirmed Polanski's arrest, but refused to provide more details because he said it was a matter for the Swiss justice ministry. A ministry spokesman, Guido Balmer, declined to comment.
In a statement, the festival organisers said they had "learned of his arrest with great dismay and sadness", but stressed that they would go ahead with a planned retrospective of his work and present the award on another date.
Polanski, who directed classic films including "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby", recently sought dismissal of his case on grounds of misconduct by the late judge who arranged a plea bargain and later reneged on it.
In February, Judge Peter Espinoza agreed there had been misconduct by the judge in the original case, but said Polanski must return to the US to apply for dismissal.
His lawyers said he would not return because he is considered to be a fugitive. He has not set foot in the US for 30 years, and has avoided going to countries, such as the UK, that have an extradition treaty with the US.
Polanski, who was born in Paris, has lived in France for the past 30 years and his career has continued to flourish.
He won an Oscar for his 2002 film "The Pianist", with the award collected on his behalf by the actor Harrison Ford.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/sep/27/roman-polanski-switzerland-custody
