Polanski’s arrest declared scandalous
After the announcement of Roman Polanski’s arrest yesterday at Zurich airport, the Swiss Association of Screenwriters and Film Directors (ARF/FDS) has protested vehemently at the unreasonable and overzealous attitude of the Swiss police.
The French-Polish filmmaker was expected to attend the Zurich Film Festival (September 24-October 4) to receive a Golden Eye Award for Lifetime Achievement (see news).
Convicted in the United States in 1978 of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl, Polanski, now 76, is still considered a fugitive in the eyes of US law.
Nobody in Switzerland, where news of the arrest has prompted shock and disapproval, understands the reasons for this relentless hounding. "Switzerland has not been under pressure from the US", declared Swiss Minister of Justice Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. Swiss authorities affirmed beforehand: "There’s no reason not to enforce an international arrest warrant".
There have been increasing calls for his release from Swiss cultural circles.
(Translated from French)
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