Kraków court to watch docu in Polański extradition case

[pieter]

Kraków court to watch documentary in Polański extradition case

A Kraków court is to watch a hotly-debated documentary film about director Roman Polański as part of evidence put forward by the defence in an ongoing US extradition case.



The trial, which was adjourned in late February, returned to court on Friday although Polański, present during earlier sittings, will not be attending.

The film-maker's lawyers have argued that Marina Zenovich's 2008 film 'Roman Polański: Wanted and Desired' presents essential material concerning the original 1977 US case of unlawful sex with a minor that prompted Polański to flee America in 1978.

Besides casting doubts as to whether the judge in the original case was even-handed in his approach to the trial, the film also includes interviews with victim Samantha Geimer (13 at the time when Polański abused her).

Geimer has publicly forgiven Polański and called for closure on the matter.

The case has proved highly divisive, with those supporting the US line maintaining that double standards cannot be applied and that Polański must face justice.

Polański, who has dual Polish-French citizenship, fled the US to France in February 1978, shortly before being sentenced. He has lived chiefly in Paris since then.

The affair sparked international coverage in 2009, when the director was arrested in Switzerland after a US request for his extradition, but Swiss authorities ultimately backed down after keeping him under house arrest for several months.

Polański, who grew up in Kraków, has visited Poland several times since the Swiss affair, and he aims to make his next film in Poland.

However, after being spotted attending the grand opening of The Museum of the History of Poland's Jews last October in Warsaw (as a Polish Jew, Polański survived the war by being sheltered by gentile families) US authorities filed a further extradition request.

However, regardless of the Krakow court's court's ruling, Poland's minister of justice maintains the right to veto the decision. (nh)

Source: TVP

www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/18/samantha-geimer-roman-polanski-unlawful-sex-email

[karl]

Interesting this Polanski case. He is a convicted sex criminal, but has never served his sentence. This bit of information is missing, with this, the American law of what constitutes the time limitation of a violation of a court order as this would be the out come. For Mr. Polanski was found guilty in a court of law, and sentenced, but never served his time by manner of fleeing judgment before time served.

Polanskie is a fleeing felon by virtue of his court conviction, the question though is: What court other then a federal court would have power of extradition from a foreign state other then to show cause by force of a writ of habious corpus being he is the body of the crime.

Karl

[pieter]

[pieter]

Interview with the French wife of Roman Polanski about his latest movie:




One of these strange Roman Polanski movies which made a great impression on me.

I don't know why some men feel attracted to little girls or women to little boys. There must be some brain and hormonal malfunction. I have no opinion about Polanski's case, I only judge his movies on basis of the content of the movies, and the artistic quality of the movie shots and editing. He is one the greatest movie directors in the world. His the Pianist was excellent too.

[Jaga]

polish media are not very loud about Polanski's issues since tomorrow is another tour of presidential elections. I am glad there is a runoff since the current president, Komorowski, was being too comfortable and not knowing what is going on in regular people households.