Poland will not extradite Polanski to the US – Terra Peru

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Poland will not extradite to the United States by Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski as part of a case almost 40 years, after prosecutors declined to challenge a court ruling he opposes his departure.

The filmmaker Roman Polanski tells the press that can “breathe of relief” after a Polish judge found that the law prohibits extradition to United States, where he pleaded guilty in 1977 to a charge of having unlawful sex with a 13 year old girl in this photo of 20 October 2015. Poland will not extradite the Oscar-winning filmmaker of the United States in a case of nearly 40 years after prosecutors declined to appeal the court ruling opposing his departure.

Photo: AP Photo / Jarek Praszkiewicz / File / AP in Spanish

A lawyer for Polanski, Jan Olszewski, told The Associated Press that Polanski’s reaction was “great relief” and “satisfaction” after irregularities in the process have spread in the United States.

The decision of prosecutors closed the case in Poland and means that Polanski, 82, is free to live and work in the country where he grew up and film study and where preparing to make a new film.

The director pleaded guilty in 1977 to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13 year old girl during a photo session in Los Angeles. In a deal with the judge, he served a sentence of 42 days in prison in the United States, but fled the country amid fears that the judge returned to jail. The United States has tried to Polanski returns to the country to stand trial.

Krakow prosecutors shared the view of the court that Polanski served his sentence and did not need to face again before the US court.

Last month, a judge in Krakow ruled that the extradition of Polanski is inadmissible, arguing that the US trial was not fair and that Polanski a deal would not face fair there, something which violates the European Convention on Human Rights.

Among the irregularities, the court and prosecutors cited the violation of the right to defend Polanski himself decades ago in the United States, discussions “unethical” between the judge and part in the case without involving them at all, informal instructions to judges, intentional destruction of some documents of the case and the loss of other and excessive sensitivity of judges to criticism from the media.

The Polish public opinion is in favor of Polanski, where his artistic production is much admired. Polanski won an Academy Award as best director for his 2002 film “The Pianist”.

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This office was corrected to clarify that Polanski pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex, not rape.