Shock, outrage at Polanski arrest

28 Sep 2009, 9:41 am   -   Source: AFP/SBS
3 Comments
Share This
+ Comment
3

Government ministers, writers and intellectuals have expressed shock and outrage after the detention of director Roman Polanski on three-decade-old sex charges.

RELATED

Government ministers, writers and intellectuals have expressed shock and outrage after the detention of director Roman Polanski on three-decade-old sex charges.

France and Poland are to ask the United States to drop the charges and consider a presidential pardon over the case, Poland's PAP news agency said on Sunday

Polanski has already acknowledged he had sex with the 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles in 1977. 

The 76-year-old was detained in Switzerland on Saturday as he arrived to attend the Zurich film festival, where he was due to receive a special award on Sunday.

Switzerland's Justice Ministry has said Polanski could be extradited following a US request for his detention.

Polish and French foreign ministers Radoslaw Sikorski and Bernard Kouchner discussed the arrest of the French-Polish national by telephone and agreed to make a joint approach to the US authorities, PAP reported.

They will ask US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton "to ask Switzerland to release Roman Polanski, detained pending extradition, and for her to envisage the possibility of a pardon from President Barack Obama", PAP quoted Sikorski as saying.

Poland, France to appeal

French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand condemned the arrest of the film-maker, who lives in Paris, and said he has discussed the matter with President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Mitterrand said he had "learned with astonishment about the process launched against Roman Polanski", his ministry said in a statement.

Sarkozy, "is following the matter with great attention and shares the hope... of a quick resolution to the situation," the statement said.

Mitterrand told a press briefing that the arrest is "absolutely horrifying" and the case is "an old story which doesn't really make any sense".

"We know the conditions that this happened in, and while there is a generous America that we like, there is also a side of America which scares and that side has just showed us its face," he told reporters.

Questioned about the case in Warsaw, Poland's President Lech Kaczynski said he's "surprised" and that he wants to speak with US officials about the case, but added that they are "devilishly difficult" to deal with.

'Judicial lynching' claim

Polish film directors, led by Andrzej Wajda, an honorary Oscar winner, sent a letter to the Polish government calling for official help for Polanski, saying he faces a "judicial lynching".

Irina Bokova, incoming head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), called the arrest "shocking" in an interview with French television.

The Swiss film screenwriters and directors association, the ASSR, called the arrest "a judicial scandal which will tarnish Switzerland's reputation around the world".

Polanski has been working on a film version of The Ghost, a political thriller by British writer Robert Harris, and Harris told Sky News television he's amazed by events.

"The warrant is 31 years old and Roman Polanski has a house in Switzerland. I have worked with him there two or three times in the last year or so.

"He has travelled freely throughout Europe and in Switzerland - filming has been based in Germany. He has just come back from a holiday in Greece.

"I'm amazed this should happen now, and I cannot begin to fathom what reason lies behind it."

 

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Your Comments

Bokova defends child rapist

Tom Miller - from Australia, 3 years ago

Even the incoming head of UNESCO, Irena Bokova has called Polanski's arrest "shocking". Now that Bokova has come out to defend a self-confessed pedophile and child rapist will the UNESCO general conference still confirm her has its new Director-General? If it does, that will be an outrage! She CLAIMS to be fighting for gender equity and indeed has made that one of her missions at UNESCO. How does drugging and raping of 13 year old girls advance 'gender equity', Ms Bokova?

Do the crime do the time

Mark - from Bunbury WA, 3 years ago

Why all the bull over this? If you do the crime do the time if there is nothing to answer to - he has the money to fight it. I
ts good to see a country willing to stand up to criticims and arrest him.
Thanks thats my say.

Child abuse

dave - from Jerrabomberra NSW, 3 years ago

Where is tke common sense amongst the calls for Polanski to be freed? Why can't those calling for his release understand the appalling act he committed. If he'd abused a child yesterday would they still call for his release? Of course not. Time is not the problem here

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.