No Extradition

Switzerland Frees Polanski

Director no longer under house arrest.

Does Polanski’s real-life drama finally have an ending? Today the Swiss Ministry of Justice denied a request to extradite film director Roman Polanski to the United States to face sentencing for having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Polanski is also no longer under house arrest and is not being electronically monitored. In a statement the ministry said, "The reason for the decision lies in the fact that it was not possible to exclude with the necessary certainty a fault in the U.S. extradition request, although the issue was thoroughly examined. Moreover, also the principles of State action deriving from international public order were taken into account." The 76-year-old director moved to France in 1978 while facing charges in the U.S.