US Requests Poland to Extradite Roman Polanski

The United States has requested Poland to extradite filmmaker Roman Polanski. In 1977, while living in the US, Polanski was accused of having sexual relations with a teenage girl (under the legal age of 18). On Wednesday, January 7, the Associated Press reported, citing Matheus Martinik, spokesperson for the US Attorney General, that the request from the Los Angeles District Attorney's office has been sent to the court in Krakow, Poland, which is handling Polanski's case. Last October, the Krakow prosecutor rejected the US request for Polanski's arrest. However, the court did question him and required him to attend all hearings. Polanski had come to Warsaw for the opening of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews named 'Polin' and then returned to Krakow, the city where he spent his childhood. The 81-year-old Oscar-winning director is set to make a film in Poland about the Dreyfus Affair, a spy scandal in France in the early 20th century, in February and March. Jerzy Stachowicz, one of Polanski's lawyers, stated on Wednesday that his legal team would oppose the extradition request. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the US Attorney General also mentioned that Poland does not extradite its citizens based on its internal laws. In December of last year, a judge in Los Angeles rejected Polanski's request for a reconsideration of his case. Polanski, born to Jewish parents in Paris, spent his childhood and youth in Poland. He holds French and Polish citizenship; however, after an Interpol arrest warrant was issued against him, Polanski's travel to 188 countries has been prohibited. He can freely travel between Switzerland, France, and Poland. In a court case held years ago in the US, Polanski accepted the charge of unlawful sexual relations and was sentenced to a 90-day prison term for psychiatric evaluations. After serving 42 days of his sentence, he fled the US to avoid further imprisonment. Following the first renewed indictment against him in 2010, Switzerland refrained from extraditing Polanski to the US. However, until the conclusion of this case, he was forced to spend 290 days in jail or under house arrest. Polanski won the Oscar for Best Director in 2002 for directing 'The Pianist.' His films 'Chinatown' and 'Tess' were nominated for Best Director Oscars in 1974 and 1979, respectively. His first feature film, 'Knife in the Water,' was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1963.