Roman Polanski arrested in Zürich

[Martinus]

Oh and to improve the image of France a bit:

French drop Polanski release call
The French government has dropped its public support for Roman Polanski, saying the 76-year-old director "is neither above nor beneath the law".

The move follows a backlash against a campaign for Polanski's release, with several leading European politicians and cultural figures refusing to join.

He is being held in Switzerland on a US arrest warrant over charges of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.

On Monday, the French foreign minister called for Polanski to be freed.

Polanski, who has dual French and Polish citizenship, was arrested on Saturday when he flew into the country.

He had been due to pick up a lifetime achievement prize at the Zurich film festival.

'Serious affair'

Speaking to reporters, French government spokesman Luc Chatel said: "We have a judicial procedure under way, for a serious affair, the rape of a minor, on which the American and Swiss legal systems are doing their job."

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner have written to US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton calling for Polanski to be freed.

But the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has distanced himself from the move by asking his ministers to show "greater restraint" in defending him.

He added that despite a "leading Polish director" being involved, it is still a "case of rape and of punishment for having sex with a child".

A member of the British parliament has called on the Council of Europe, of which he is also a member, to support Polanski's extradition to the US.

Denis MacShane said the film-maker "should be held accountable" for his actions.

French film-maker Luc Besson, who directed the 1994 movie Leon, has also refused to lend his support.

Speaking to French radio station RTL, he said: "I have a lot of affection for him, he is a man that I like very much ... but nobody should be above the law.

"I don't know the details of this case, but I think that when you don't show up for trial, you are taking a risk."

Despite that, Mr Polanski has no shortage of supporters, including at least 110 film industry figures who have signed a petition calling for his release.

Among them are Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and David Lynch, as well as Wim Wenders, Pedro Almodovar, Tilda Swinton and Monica Bellucci.

Actor Peter Fonda said he thought "celebrating the arrest of Osama bin Laden and not the arrest of Polanski" was far more important.

Mr Polanski fled the US in 1978 before he was sentenced on a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.

He has never returned and even missed receiving an Oscar for his 2003 film The Pianist.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/8283707.stm

Tilda Swinton 

[Caliga]

-for example many people in this thread suggested life imprisonment, whereas I think most Euros would view a penalty of say 3-4 years - taking into account his age, the fact that he reconciled with the victim etc. - to be more appropriate.

Really?  That's not a loaded question: I don't remember anyone calling for life imprisonment.  I would be cool with a sentence of 3-4 years and suspect this is the sort of sentence he'll end up getting.

[Faeelin]

1. Polanski's flight was justified because he feared he would not get a fair trial. Perhaps he was not acting reasonably but his panicky reaction to a prospect of a "court lynching" could be justified by mental instability resulting from his Holocaust experience. So he should not be sentenced for the crime of fleeing the court. 

You know, I can't help but wonder if this is somehow insulting to all the holocaust survivors who aren't raping 13 year old girls.

[Martinus]

-for example many people in this thread suggested life imprisonment, whereas I think most Euros would view a penalty of say 3-4 years - taking into account his age, the fact that he reconciled with the victim etc. - to be more appropriate.

Really?  That's not a loaded question: I don't remember anyone calling for life imprisonment.  I would be cool with a sentence of 3-4 years and suspect this is the sort of sentence he'll end up getting.

Jaron did (yeah I know ).

[Martinus]

1. Polanski's flight was justified because he feared he would not get a fair trial. Perhaps he was not acting reasonably but his panicky reaction to a prospect of a "court lynching" could be justified by mental instability resulting from his Holocaust experience. So he should not be sentenced for the crime of fleeing the court. 

You know, I can't help but wonder if this is somehow insulting to all the holocaust survivors who aren't raping 13 year old girls.

Maybe noone told them that they can?

Anyway you are twisting my words. I didn't say that this is a justification for him raping a girl, but a justification that he may have freaked out and acted panicky fearing he would not get a fair trial. Only because he is guilty does not mean he is not entitled to a fair trial.

[Neil]

Martinus:  You're a shitty lawyer.

[Berkut]

Martinus:  You're a shitty lawyer.

That is still somewhat uncertain.

[grumbler]

Just FYI, Marti, my reading of the case is that Polanski thought that he was getting a sentence that would not be severe enough to result in deportation.  When the judge started talking about 90 days, it seems that this would (and the judge probably intended that it would) result in deportation.  At that point, Polanski decided (again, just my interpretation) that, if he was going to be kicked out of Hollywood anyway, it made no sense to serve more jail time, so he voluntarily did what he thought the judge wanted to do to him involuntarily: get out of the US for good.

I don't think that years in prison was a real issue.

[DGuller]

Martinus:  You're a shitty lawyer.

Are we sure he is a lawyer?

[ulmont]

Martinus:  You're a shitty lawyer.

Are we sure he is a lawyer?

Martinus is a lawyer, and has been one for quite some time.

[Darth Wagtaros]

-for example many people in this thread suggested life imprisonment, whereas I think most Euros would view a penalty of say 3-4 years - taking into account his age, the fact that he reconciled with the victim etc. - to be more appropriate.

Really?  That's not a loaded question: I don't remember anyone calling for life imprisonment.  I would be cool with a sentence of 3-4 years and suspect this is the sort of sentence he'll end up getting.

I don't believe he reconsiled with his victim either.  If I'm not mistaken she reconciled with what happened to her and doesn't want her name being dragged through the mud all over again by those slezebags who think a 13 year old girl getting drugged and sexed by an old freak isn't a big deal.

[The Minsky Moment]

The judge can either accept or reject the plea

What does it mean if the judge rejects the plea?

Depends on the reason for the rejection - it could mean the two sides put together a new agreement that responds to the judge's concern, or the case goes to trial, or even the government decides not to proceed at all.

[grumbler]

I don't believe he reconsiled with his victim either.  If I'm not mistaken she reconciled with what happened to her and doesn't want her name being dragged through the mud all over again by those slezebags who think a 13 year old girl getting drugged and sexed by an old freak isn't a big deal.

I agree with this as well.  In fact, I don't think Polanski has ever admitted that what he did was wrong (and, in fairness to him, I don't think he is capable of recognizing that it is wrong to have sex with underage girls - something inside him is broken).  The victim hasn't so much forgiven him as said that she wishes the whole thing would just go away.

[Caliga]

Didn't he pay her off?  If so, I guess that was his way of reconciling with her.

[grumbler]

Didn't he pay her off?  If so, I guess that was his way of reconciling with her.

Paying a lawsuit settlement is not a means of reconciling, but rather a means of avoiding the cost and dangers of going to trial.