| Oscar for best director Roman Polanski was arrested in Switzerland | |
| 分類：國外影劇 Category: Foreign motion picture | |
| 新聞等級： 3 News Rank: 3 |    |
（ 中央社記者顏伶如舊金山27日專電）「 戰地琴人 」奧斯卡最佳導演羅曼波蘭斯基30多年前被控與未成年少女發生性關係在美國遭起訴，為躲坐牢多年來從不返美。 (Central News Agency reporter Yan Ling such as San Francisco 27, Ta Kung Pao) "Battlefield Kotohito" Academy Award for Best Director Roman Polanski more than 30 years ago, was charged with sexual relations with underage girls in the United States prosecuted for hiding is never returned to prison for many years the United States. 昨天他在瑞士被捕，可能被引渡回美。 Yesterday, he was the Swiss was arrested, may be extradited to the United States. 法國司法當局發表聲明，生於法國巴黎、在波蘭長大的這位76歲知名導演，原本要在本屆蘇黎世電影節（Zurich Film Festival）接受表揚，但他昨天晚間飛抵瑞士時卻在蘇黎世機場立即遭到逮捕。 French judicial authorities issued a statement, was born in Paris, France, grew up in Poland, the 76-year-old well-known director, is supposed to at this Zurich Film Festival (Zurich Film Festival) to accept praise, but he flew to Switzerland last night Shique at Zurich Airport immediately arrested. 瑞士當局是以國際拘捕令（international warrant）將他扣留。 Swiss authorities based on the international arrest warrant (international warrant) will detain him. 好萊塢報導，以「戰地琴人」（The Pianist）在2003年贏得奧斯卡金像獎 （Oscar）的羅曼波蘭斯基（Roman Polanski），很可能將被引渡回到美國。 The Hollywood Reporter, with "Battlefield piano man" (The Pianist) in 2003, won the Academy Award (Oscar) in Roman Polanski (Roman Polanski), is likely to be extradited back to the U.S.. 1977年，羅曼波蘭斯基被控與年僅13歲未成年少女發生性關係，在加州遭起訴。 In 1977, Roman Polanski charged with underage girls as young as 13-year-old sexual relationship in California prosecution. 羅曼波蘭斯基後來在庭上坦承犯罪，但為了躲避牢獄之災，1978年逃離美國前往巴黎定居，多年來不曾返美。 Roman Polanski later admitted in court, crime, but in order to avoid prison, fled the United States in 1978, went to Paris to settle in over the years have not returned to the U.S.. 2003年奧斯卡頒獎典禮，他也沒有親自領取最佳導演小金人獎座。 2003 Academy Awards ceremony, he did not personally receive a trophy for best director Oscars. 980927 980,927 | |
September 27, 2009
Oscar for best director Roman Polanski was arrested in Switzerland - LITTLE PIECE OF ADVICE: DON'T CLICK ON LINK THAT SAYS LATIMES PICTURES OF WHATSHERNAME
Whoops! The AP Publishes Internal Notes About Roman Polanski Arrest As News Story - COOL DOUBLE STORY
Whoops! The AP Publishes Internal Notes About Roman Polanski Arrest As News StoryThe Associated Press appears to have published internal communications instead of news copy in a story called "Swiss arrest Polanski on US request in sex case."
This was brought to our attention by a reader who saw it on The New York Times' site. The Times quickly switched to a Reuters edition of the story, and now has its own story.
An AP rep explains: "The internal message inadvertently became part of AP's online news feed as a result of what appears to be a case of human error and technical glitch."
Here's the AP "story," which is still published at Forbes.com. One interesting part is where an AP staffer theorizes that the Swiss arrested Polanski "because they're under intense pressure over UBS and want to throw the U.S. a bone."
Swiss arrest Polanski on US request in sex case
Associated Press, 09.27.09, 10:41 AM EDTOK, can you do some more probing? New York will want to know
frank's out today.
i checked already, and so did zurich. they say the question is irrelevant. he answered me with the quote i used, about we knew when he was coming this time. he's been here many times in the past, we think.
thx brad. aptn is aware, but unfortunately won't make it in time, but is hoping to catch tail end.
i'm pushing out another writethru with some more background details before press conference.
no surprise, new york is really hot on this.
they particularly want to know why now. (has he never set foot in switzerland before?) sheila, theorizes that's because they're under intense pressure over ubs and want to throw the U.S. a bone, but can you check with justice department sources there?
is frank around too, or are you alone?
u can tell aptn press conf 1700 (15 gmt) in bern at the parliament
i'll watch it live on internet
Polanski: explanations in the USA and petition the 7th Art (YEAH, PETITION THE 7TH ART)
Polanski: explanations in the USA and petition the 7th Art
27.09.2009 22:42 27.09.2009 22:42
Un spectateur du festival de Zurich soutient, comme le monde du 7e art, le cinéaste arrêté. A spectator festival Zurich argues, as the world's 7th art, filmmaker arrested. [Keystone] [Keystone]
L'arrestation de Roman Polanski samedi soir, suite à une procédure ouverte aux USA en 1977, n'en finit plus de susciter colère et indignation. The Roman Polanski's arrest Saturday night, following an open procedure in the U.S. in 1977, never stops to generate anger and indignation. Alors que la justice américaine explique avoir planifié l'arrestation la semaine dernière, Berne se justifie. While American courts have said the planned arrest last week, Bern justified. Le 7e art exige la libération du cinéaste dans une pétition. The 7th art demands the release of the filmmaker in a petition.
Les autorités américaines lui reprochent des actes d'ordre sexuel avec des enfants, notamment un cas de 1977 avec une mineure de treize ans à Los Angeles. U.S. authorities accused him of sexual acts with children, including one case in 1977 with a minor thirteen years in Los Angeles. Elles ont émis en 1978 un mandat d'arrêt contre le cinéaste et le recherchent activement partout dans le monde depuis 2005, a précisé l'OFJ dans un communiqué. They were issued in 1978 an arrest warrant against the filmmaker and actively looking around the world since 2005, the FOJ said in a statement.
Exil depuis 1978 Exile since 1978
Roman Polanski sera effectivement extradé vers les Etats-Unis dès que la procédure d'extradition sera rentrée en force, a précisé l'OFJ dans un communiqué. Roman Polanski will actually be extradited to the United States in the extradition proceedings will be back in force, the FOJ said in a statement. Le cinéaste peut faire appel d'une éventuelle mise en détention en vue d'extradition et d'une décision d'extradition auprès du Tribunal pénal fédéral (TPF), puis du Tribunal fédéral (TF). The director may appeal a possible detention for extradition and a decision on extradition to the Federal Criminal Court (TPF) and the Federal Court (TF).
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf au front Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf forehead
«Dans un Etat de droit, il n'est pas possible de faire des différences. "In a State of law, it is not possible to differentiate. Il serait incompréhensible qu'une personne sortant du lot bénéficie d'un autre traitement», a ajouté la conseillère fédérale. It is incomprehensible that a person leaving the lot has a different treatment, "said Europe." A ses yeux, la Suisse a agi correctement. In his view, Switzerland has acted properly.
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf a expliqué que la Suisse avait pu procéder cette fois à l'arrestation de Roman Polanski car Berne a eu connaissance à l'avance de sa venue. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said the Swiss had been able this time to the arrest of Roman Polanski as Bern was aware in advance of his arrival. Le cinéaste n'avait pas été inquiété lors de son précédent séjour car les autorités avaient eu vent de sa présence trop tard. The filmmaker had not been disturbed during his previous visit because the authorities had got wind of his presence too late. D'après elle, il est probable que Roman Polanski fasse recours contre la décision le touchant. According to her, it is likely that Roman Polanski makes appeal against touching.
Interrogée dimanche soir par la télévision alémanique SF, elle a indiqué que les autorités américaines avaient désormais jusqu'à 60 jours pour déposer une demande définitive d'extradition. Asked Sunday by Swiss television SF, she said that U.S. authorities were now up to 60 days to file a final application for extradition.
Pas de prescription, selon Couchepin No prescription, according to Couchepin
Interrogé par la Radio suisse romande (RSR), le ministre de la culture Pascal Couchepin a de son côté précisé que les Etats-Unis et la Suisse ne connaissent pas la prescription pour les délits sexuels sur des mineurs. Asked by Radio Suisse Romande (RSR), the Culture Minister Pascal Couchepin has in turn said that the United States and Switzerland do not know the statute of limitations for sexual offenses against minors. Il n'a pas voulu faire d'autre commentaire, estimant qu'il s'agit d'une affaire judiciaire et pas culturelle. He would not comment further, saying that it is a judicial matter and not cultural.
Le cinéaste de 76 ans aurait dû recevoir dimanche un prix d'honneur pour l'ensemble de son oeuvre lors du Festival du film de Zurich. The director of 76 years should have received Sunday a Honor Award for lifetime achievement at the Film Festival in Zurich. «Choqués par cet incident», les organisateurs ont reporté la remise du prix, mais ont maintenu la soirée d'hommage prévue, en signe de «solidarité» vis-à-vis de celui qu'ils considèrent comme «l'un des cinéastes les plus extraordinaires de notre époque». "Shocked by this incident, the organizers have postponed the award, but kept the evening of tribute planned, a sign of" solidarity "vis-à-vis those they see as" one of the filmmakers most extraordinary of our time. "
Paris et Varsovie interviennent Paris and Warsaw involved
Le président Nicolas Sarkozy et le ministre de la culture Frédéric Mitterrand souhaitent eux aussi que le réalisateur soit libéré rapidement. President Nicolas Sarkozy and the minister of culture Frederic Mitterrand also wish that the film is released soon. Quarante-sept jours en prison Roman Polanski a été arrêté en 1977 à Los Angeles à la suite de la plainte des parents d'une adolescente de 13 ans. Forty-seven days in jail Roman Polanski was arrested in 1977 in Los Angeles following the complaint of the parents of a teenager 13 years. Il avait plaidé coupable de «relations sexuelles illégales» et avait passé 47 jours en prison. He pleaded guilty to "unlawful sexual intercourse" and had spent 47 days in jail.
Fin janvier 1978, au lendemain d'une réunion entre ses avocats et un juge lors de laquelle ce dernier avait laissé entendre qu'il allait le renvoyer sous les verrous, Roman Polanski avait pris un avion pour l'Europe et n'a plus remis les pieds depuis sur le sol américain. End January 1978, following a meeting between his lawyers and a judge at which he had hinted he would return behind bars, Roman Polanski took a plane to Europe and has delivered more feet since on American soil.
Les partis réagissent en ordre dispersé Parties react in an uncoordinated
Les cinq grands partis suisses ont réagi en ordre dispersé à l'arrestation du cinéaste franco-polonais Roman Polanski samedi à Zurich. The five main parties reacted Swiss uncoordinated to the arrest of the Franco-Polish director Roman Polanski Saturday in Zurich. L'UDC dénonce des pressions américaines, alors que le PDC serait prêt à extrader immédiatement le réalisateur vers les USA. The UDC denounces U.S. pressure, while the PDC is ready to immediately extradite to the U.S. director. Interrogé par la radio alémanique DRS en marge d'un débat sur le résultat des votations fédérales de dimanche, le président de l'UDC Toni Brunner a estimé que la Suisse a agi comme le «bras armé» des Etats-Unis. Asked by Radio DRS sidelines of a debate on the outcome of federal votes Sunday, the president of the UDC Toni Brunner said that Switzerland acted as the "armed wing" of the United States. Il a jugé dangereux de chercher à servir des maîtres étrangers. It was deemed unsafe to attempt to serve foreign masters.
A l'inverse, son homologue démocrate-chrétien Christophe Darbellay a de son côté considéré comme «la pire des choses» les violences sexuelles à l'encontre des enfants. In contrast, his Democratic counterpart Christian Christophe Darbellay has in turn considered the "worst things" sexual violence against children. Il a affirmé qu'il livrerait immédiatement le cinéaste franco-polonais aux Etats-Unis. He said he immediately deliver the Franco-Polish film maker in the United States. Le patron du parti libéral-radical (PLR) Fulvio Pelli s'est pour sa part dit surpris par cette arrestation. The boss of the Liberal Radical (PLR) Fulvio Pelli has for his part said he was surprised by this arrest. Le passé de Roman Polanski n'est pas uniquement constitué de beaux films, at-il dit. The past of Roman Polanski is not only made beautiful films, "he said. Le cinéaste a admis sa faute et, pour cette raison, a fui les EtatsUnis. The director has admitted his mistake and for that reason, fled the United States.
Pour le président des Verts Ueli Leuenberger, l'arrestation de l'hôte d'honneur du festival du film de Zurich est totalement incompréhensible. For the president of the Greens Ueli Leuenberger, the arrest of the guest of honor of the film festival in Zurich is totally incomprehensible. Le réalisateur de «Rosemary's Baby» a pu à plusieurs reprises entrer sans encombres en Suisse par le passé, at-il souligné. The director of "Rosemary's Baby" was able to repeatedly enter Switzerland without a hitch in the past, he said. Le socialiste Christian Levrat n'a quant à lui pas souhaité faire de commentaire sur cet incident. The Socialist Christian Levrat has meanwhile not wish to comment on this incident. Il s'agit d'une affaire de justice et il ne connaît pas ce dossier, at-il fait valoir. It is a matter of justice and he does not know this record, "he argues.
agences/cht agencies / cht
Le cinéaste d'origine polonaise, qui a passé son enfance dans le ghetto de Cracovie, a été naturalisé français en 1976. The Polish-born filmmaker who spent his childhood in the ghetto of Cracow, was naturalized French in 1976. Le réalisateur a construit en une quarantaine de films, comme acteur, réalisateur, scénariste ou producteur, une oeuvre pleine de grands écarts, suscitant à la fois admiration et réserves, depuis l'iconoclasme de ses premiers opus jusqu'à l'académisme de son "Pianiste", qui lui a valu la palme du festival de Cannes en 2002. The director has built in some forty films as actor, director, screenwriter or producer, a work full of big differences, prompting both admiration and reserves from the iconoclasm of his early opus until its academic "Pianist," which won the prize at Cannes in 2002.
Accueilli à bras ouverts à Hollywood, son aventure américaine avait duré 10 ans, semée de bonheurs et de cauchemars. Welcomed with open arms in Hollywood, his American adventure had lasted 10 years, replete with joys and nightmares. Bonheur de son mariage avec la ravissante actrice Sharon Tate, des grands films qui firent de lui un cinéaste de stature internationale, et cauchemar du sauvage assassinat de cette épouse aimée et enceinte en 1969 par les satanistes du tueur en série Charles Manson. Happiness of his marriage to the lovely actress Sharon Tate, the great movies that made him a filmmaker of international stature, and nightmare of savage murder of this beloved and pregnant wife in 1969 by the satanic serial killer Charles Manson.
Auteur de films devenus culte comme "Le Bal des Vampires", "Chinatown" ou "Rosemary's Baby", Roman Polanski a continué à diriger des films depuis son exil. Author to become cult films like "Le Bal des Vampires," "Chinatown" or "Rosemary's Baby, Roman Polanski has continued to direct films since his exile. Il a décroché pour l'un des plus récents, "Le Pianiste", un Oscar en 2002 qu'il n'a pas pu venir chercher. He won for one of the most recent, "The Pianist", Oscar in 2002 he could not pick. Le même film lui a valu la Palme d'Or au festival de Cannes. The same film won him the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Il a reçu de nombreux autres prix. He has received numerous other awards.
tsr.ch - Info - Polanski: explications aux USA et pétition du 7e art
tsr.ch - Info - Polanski: explications aux USA et pétition du 7e artPolanski: explications aux USA et pétition du 7e art
27.09.2009 22:56Un spectateur du festival du film de Zurich soutient, comme le monde du 7e art, le cinéaste arrêté. [Keystone]L'arrestation de Roman Polanski samedi soir, suite à une procédure ouverte aux USA en 1977, n'en finit plus de susciter colère et indignation. Alors que la justice américaine explique avoir planifié l'arrestation la semaine dernière, Berne se justifie. Le 7e art exige la libération du cinéaste dans une pétition.
Les autorités américaines lui reprochent des actes d'ordre sexuel avec des enfants, notamment un cas de 1977 avec une mineure de treize ans à Los Angeles. Elles ont émis en 1978 un mandat d'arrêt contre le cinéaste et le recherchent activement partout dans le monde depuis 2005, a précisé l'OFJ dans un communiqué.Exil depuis 1978
Roman Polanski sera effectivement extradé vers les Etats-Unis dès que la procédure d'extradition sera rentrée en force, a précisé l'OFJ dans un communiqué. Le cinéaste peut faire appel d'une éventuelle mise en détention en vue d'extradition et d'une décision d'extradition auprès du Tribunal pénal fédéral (TPF), puis du Tribunal fédéral (TF).Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf au front
«Dans un Etat de droit, il n'est pas possible de faire des différences. Il serait incompréhensible qu'une personne sortant du lot bénéficie d'un autre traitement», a ajouté la conseillère fédérale. A ses yeux, la Suisse a agi correctement.
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf a expliqué que la Suisse avait pu procéder cette fois à l'arrestation de Roman Polanski car Berne a eu connaissance à l'avance de sa venue. Le cinéaste n'avait pas été inquiété lors de son précédent séjour car les autorités avaient eu vent de sa présence trop tard. D'après elle, il est probable que Roman Polanski fasse recours contre la décision le touchant.
Interrogée dimanche soir par la télévision alémanique SF, elle a indiqué que les autorités américaines avaient désormais jusqu'à 60 jours pour déposer une demande définitive d'extradition.Pas de prescription, selon Couchepin
Interrogé par la Radio suisse romande (RSR), le ministre de la culture Pascal Couchepin a de son côté précisé que les Etats-Unis et la Suisse ne connaissent pas la prescription pour les délits sexuels sur des mineurs. Il n'a pas voulu faire d'autre commentaire, estimant qu'il s'agit d'une affaire judiciaire et pas culturelle.
Le cinéaste de 76 ans aurait dû recevoir dimanche un prix d'honneur pour l'ensemble de son oeuvre lors du Festival du film de Zurich. «Choqués par cet incident», les organisateurs ont reporté la remise du prix, mais ont maintenu la soirée d'hommage prévue, en signe de «solidarité» vis-à-vis de celui qu'ils considèrent comme «l'un des cinéastes les plus extraordinaires de notre époque».Paris et Varsovie interviennent
Le président Nicolas Sarkozy et le ministre de la culture Frédéric Mitterrand souhaitent eux aussi que le réalisateur soit libéré rapidement. Quarante-sept jours en prison Roman Polanski a été arrêté en 1977 à Los Angeles à la suite de la plainte des parents d'une adolescente de 13 ans. Il avait plaidé coupable de «relations sexuelles illégales» et avait passé 47 jours en prison.
Fin janvier 1978, au lendemain d'une réunion entre ses avocats et un juge lors de laquelle ce dernier avait laissé entendre qu'il allait le renvoyer sous les verrous, Roman Polanski avait pris un avion pour l'Europe et n'a plus remis les pieds depuis sur le sol américain.Les partis réagissent en ordre dispersé
Les cinq grands partis suisses ont réagi en ordre dispersé à l'arrestation du cinéaste franco-polonais Roman Polanski samedi à Zurich. L'UDC dénonce des pressions américaines, alors que le PDC serait prêt à extrader immédiatement le réalisateur vers les USA. Interrogé par la radio alémanique DRS en marge d'un débat sur le résultat des votations fédérales de dimanche, le président de l'UDC Toni Brunner a estimé que la Suisse a agi comme le «bras armé» des Etats-Unis. Il a jugé dangereux de chercher à servir des maîtres étrangers.
A l'inverse, son homologue démocrate-chrétien Christophe Darbellay a de son côté considéré comme «la pire des choses» les violences sexuelles à l'encontre des enfants. Il a affirmé qu'il livrerait immédiatement le cinéaste franco-polonais aux Etats-Unis. Le patron du parti libéral-radical (PLR) Fulvio Pelli s'est pour sa part dit surpris par cette arrestation. Le passé de Roman Polanski n'est pas uniquement constitué de beaux films, a-t-il dit. Le cinéaste a admis sa faute et, pour cette raison, a fui les EtatsUnis.
Pour le président des Verts Ueli Leuenberger, l'arrestation de l'hôte d'honneur du festival du film de Zurich est totalement incompréhensible. Le réalisateur de «Rosemary's Baby» a pu à plusieurs reprises entrer sans encombres en Suisse par le passé, a-t-il souligné. Le socialiste Christian Levrat n'a quant à lui pas souhaité faire de commentaire sur cet incident. Il s'agit d'une affaire de justice et il ne connaît pas ce dossier, a-t-il fait valoir.
agences/cht
Le cinéaste d'origine polonaise, qui a passé son enfance dans le ghetto de Cracovie, a été naturalisé français en 1976. Le réalisateur a construit en une quarantaine de films, comme acteur, réalisateur, scénariste ou producteur, une oeuvre pleine de grands écarts, suscitant à la fois admiration et réserves, depuis l'iconoclasme de ses premiers opus jusqu'à l'académisme de son "Pianiste", qui lui a valu la palme du festival de Cannes en 2002.
Accueilli à bras ouverts à Hollywood, son aventure américaine avait duré 10 ans, semée de bonheurs et de cauchemars. Bonheur de son mariage avec la ravissante actrice Sharon Tate, des grands films qui firent de lui un cinéaste de stature internationale, et cauchemar du sauvage assassinat de cette épouse aimée et enceinte en 1969 par les satanistes du tueur en série Charles Manson.
Auteur de films devenus culte comme "Le Bal des Vampires", "Chinatown" ou "Rosemary's Baby", Roman Polanski a continué à diriger des films depuis son exil. Il a décroché pour l'un des plus récents, "Le Pianiste", un Oscar en 2002 qu'il n'a pas pu venir chercher. Le même film lui a valu la Palme d'Or au festival de Cannes. Il a reçu de nombreux autres prix.
FACTBOX: Key facts on director Roman Polanski | Entertainment | Reuters
FACTBOX: Key facts on director Roman Polanski | Entertainment | Reuters(Reuters) - Roman Polanski, Oscar-winning director of the "Pianist," was arrested at the request of U.S. officials when trying to enter Switzerland to receive a prize from the Zurich Film Festival.
Polanski's arrest Saturday night was on a 1978 warrant issued by Los Angeles for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. That girl is now a grown woman, Samantha Geimer, who lives in Hawaii. She has said Polanski should not serve any more time in prison.
Here are some key facts about Polanski and the case:
* Born Raymond Polanski to Polish-Jewish parents on August 18, 1933, he spent the first three years of his life in Paris before the family returned to Poland.
* In World War Two when the Germans sealed off the Jewish ghetto in Krakow in 1940, his father shouted to Roman to run and he escaped. His mother later died in an Auschwitz gas chamber.
* His first full-length feature film after graduation, "Knife in the Water," won a number of awards and, most important for Polanski, was his ticket to Hollywood movies.
* In August 1969, Polanski's wife, actress Sharon Tate, and six others, were hacked to death by followers of cult leader Charles Manson at his Hollywood home in a random attack.
* Polanski is wanted in the United States because in 1977 he pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl at a party that took place in the home of actor Jack Nicholson. Under his plea agreement, Polanski would have been sentenced to the 42 days he had already served in jail under psychiatric evaluation.
* But Polanski believed the judge, who has since died, might alter the plea agreement and require Polanski to spend years in jail, so he skipped bail in 1978 and fled to France before sentence was pronounced.
* A 2008 documentary film, "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" looked at the case in detail. It included interviews with Geimer and lawyers involved in the case. Also in 2008, Polanski's lawyers sought to have the case dismissed based on an idea advanced in the film that there had been prosecutorial and judicial misconduct 30 years earlier.
* In an interview to promote the film, Geimer told Reuters, "I don't think he's a danger to society" and "I don't think he needs to be locked up forever, and no one has ever come out, ever, besides me and accused him of anything."
* Earlier this year, Polanski's attorneys lost their bid for a dismissal when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza ruled their legal motion "discloses no legal grounds for disqualification" of the original case.
* Polanski won a best director Oscar for his 2002 film "The Pianist," as well as the Cannes film festival's Palme d'Or (Golden Palm). He has also directed such film classics as "Chinatown," "Repulsion" and "Rosemary's Baby."
(Additional reporting by Bob Tourtellotte in Los Angeles; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Director Roman Polanski Arrested By Swiss : NPR -SERIOUSLY, THIS IS FUCKING RETARDED
September 27, 2009Director Roman Polanski Arrested By Swiss : NPRThe Swiss Justice Ministry says director Roman Polanski is being held by Swiss authorities ahead of his possible extradition to the United States for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
The ministry says in a statement that Polanski was arrested Saturday upon arriving in Zurich. It says U.S. authorities have sought Polanski's arrest around the world since 2005.
The 76-year-old was flying in to receive an award at the Zurich Film Festival.
Polanski fled the U.S. in 1978, a year after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with the girl.
The statement Sunday said Polanski will not be sent to the U.S. until extradition proceedings are completed. Polanski can contest his detention and any extradition decision in the Swiss courts.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
ZURICH (AP) — Director Roman Polanski was taken into custody, Swiss police confirmed Sunday, on a 1978 U.S. arrest warrant for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
Polanski was flying in to receive an honorary award at the Zurich Film Festival when he was detained late Saturday at the airport, festival organizers said in a statement.
Zurich police spokesman Stefan Oberlin confirmed Polanski's arrest, but refused to provide more details because he said it was a matter for the Swiss Justice Ministry.
Ministry spokesman Guido Balmer declined to comment. Rudolf Wyss, the Justice Ministry deputy director, also declined to comment on the case. But he told The Associated Press that Switzerland and the United States have an extradition treaty dating back to the 1950s that is still in force.
Polanski fled the U.S. in 1978, a year after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.
The 76-year-old director of such classic films as "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby" has asked a U.S. appeals court in California to overturn a judges' refusal to throw out his case. He claims misconduct by the now-deceased judge who had arranged a plea bargain and then reneged on it.
Polanski has lived for the past three decades in France, where his career has continued to flourish. He received a directing Oscar in absentia for the 2002 movie "The Pianist."
Festival organizers said Polanski's detention had caused "shock and dismay," but that they would go ahead with Sunday's planned retrospective of the director's work.
The Swiss Directors Association sharply criticized authorities for what it deemed "not only a grotesque farce of justice, but also an immense cultural scandal."
A native of France who was taken to Poland by his parents, Polanski escaped Krakow's Jewish ghetto as a child and lived off the charity of strangers. His mother died at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp.
He worked his way into filmmaking in Poland, gaining an Oscar nomination for best foreign-language film in 1964 for his "Knife in the Water." Offered entry to Hollywood, he directed the classic "Rosemary's Baby" in 1968.
But his life was shattered again in 1969 when his wife, actress Sharon Tate, and four other people were gruesomely murdered by followers of Charles Manson. She was eight months pregnant.
He went on to make another American classic, "Chinatown," released in 1974.
In 1977, he was accused of raping a teenager while photographing her during a modeling session. The girl said Polanski plied her with champagne and part of a Quaalude pill at Jack Nicholson's house while the actor was away. She said that, despite her protests, he performed oral sex, intercourse and sodomy on her.
Polanski was allowed to plead guilty to one of six charges, unlawful sexual intercourse, and was sent to prison for 42 days of evaluation.
Lawyers agreed that would be his full sentence, but the judge tried to renege on the plea bargain. Aware the judge would sentence him to more prison time and require his voluntary deportation, Polanski fled to France.
The victim, Samantha Geimer, who long ago identified herself publicly, has joined in Polanski's bid for dismissal, saying she wants the case to be over. She sued Polanski and reached an undisclosed settlement.
William, Safire, Nixon'S Speech-writer, DieD @ SEVENTYNINE "N'OOO--OOOO-OOOOOO!'" FREE PUNCTUATION DAY
William Safire, Nixon Speechwriter, Dies At 79 : NPRAlex Wong/Getty ImagesWilliam Safire on Meet The Press in 2007.
William Safire, the conservative columnist and word warrior who eagerly took on political figures and the English language, died Sunday at age 79.
The Pulitzer Prize winner died in Maryland, assistant Rosemary Shields said. He had been diagnosed with cancer, but she declined to say when that had happened or what type of cancer he had.
Safire spent more than 30 years writing on the op-ed page of The New York Times. In his "On Language" column in The New York Times Magazine and more than a dozen books, Safire traced the origins of words and everyday phrases such as "straw-man," "under the bus" and "the proof is in the pudding."
Safire penned more than 3,000 columns, aggressively defending civil liberties and Israel while tangling with political figures. Bill Clinton famously wanted to punch the curmudgeonly columnist in the nose after Safire called his wife, Hillary Clinton, "a congenital liar."
Shields said: "Not only was he brilliant in language and assessing the nuances of politics, he was a kind and funny boss who gave lots of credit to others."
As a speechwriter in the Nixon White House, Safire penned Vice President Spiro Agnew's famous phrase, "nattering nabobs of negativism," a tongue-in-cheek alliteration that Safire claimed was directed not at the press but at Vietnam defeatists.
Safire also wrote several novels and served as chairman of the Dana Foundation, a philanthropy that supports brain science, immunology and arts education.
Along with George Will and William F. Buckley Jr., Safire's smooth prose helped make conservatism respectable in the 1970s, paving the way for the Reagan Revolution.
Safire was a pioneer of opinionated reporting. His columns were often filled with sources from Washington and the Middle East, making them must-reads for Beltway insiders.
Author Eric Alterman, in his 1999 book Sound and Fury: The Making of the Punditocracy, called Safire an institution unto himself.
"Few insiders doubt that William Safire is the most influential and respected pundit alive," Alterman wrote.
Safire's scathing columns on Carter White House budget director Bert Lance's financial affairs won him the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1978; in 1995 Safire was named to the Pulitzer board.
Critics said Safire made loose accusations trumpeting various "scandals" by the Clintons that were never borne out by the facts.
"Like a pioneering blogger, Safire years ago started grabbing bits of information and wrapping them in the tightest partisan, what-if spin possible," Eric Boehlert wrote in the Web site Salon in 2004. "When the accusation unraveled, he'd simply ignore the thud of his charges hitting the floor."
From 2001 to 2003, Safire also published several columns pressing the case that Saddam Hussein was linked to the Sept. 11 attacks, calling it an "undisputed fact" that hijacker Mohamed Atta met with a senior Iraqi intelligence official in Prague in April 2001. The 9/11 commission said that meeting never happened.
Safire's pun-filled "On Language" column exploring the foibles and abuses of the English language was far less controversial, winning him more admirers across the political spectrum.
Safire lived in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Md., with his wife, Helene, a British-born jewelry designer; they had a son and a daughter.
Safire, born Dec. 17, 1929, to a Jewish family in New York City, was the youngest of three boys. He attended Syracuse University but dropped out after two years to work as a legman for a Republican political strategist and publicist Tex McCrary, who had a column in the New York Herald Tribune.
Safire started writing speeches for Nixon in 1965 and followed him to the White House. He left shortly before the Watergate break-in erupted into a full-fledged scandal.
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