Swiss justice minister defends detention of filmmaker

Film director Roman Polanski is in detention awaiting possible extradition to the United States for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl. He was flying in to receive an honorary award at the Zurich Film Festival when he was arrested. Polanski had visited Switzerland in the past with no problem. Swiss television asked Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf why the authorities had decided to act now. (SF, swissinfo.ch)

This content was published on September 28, 2009 - 12:06

1 minute

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

Polanski arrest cues mixed emotions

This content was published on Sep 28, 2009 Polanski’s Paris-based lawyer, Hervé Témime, said the filmmaker was in a “fighting mood” and that he would appeal against extradition. Laurent Moreillon, a law professor at Lausanne University, says chances are slim that the director will not be sent back to the United States on decades-old child-sex charges. But, paradoxically, going before a US court…

Swiss justice minister defends detention of filmmaker

More

Polanski arrest cues mixed emotions

Discover our weekly must-reads for free!

Manage my profile