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| Roman Polanski |
A rare development; the reason for the Roman Polanski extradition rejection is not just that Polanski goes free after being charged with unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in a case 33 years old, but that he was freed on a technicality.
According to The New York Times, Switzerland Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told a news conference that 76-year-old Polanski was set free because of a possible technicality: American law enforcement rejected Justice Widmer-Schlumpf's request for the records of Roger Gunson, a prosecutor in the case.
Those records were to show if Gunson did claim that Polanski's stay in a psychiatric unit counted as jail time. So because America rejected Justice Widmer-Schlumpf's request, she rejected America's extradition request.
Basically, the U.S. Justice Department screwed up on this one. Polanski is free from house arrest and can go home to France.
Roman Polanski Twitter reactions negative toward Swiss
On Twitter, when the tweets were not just reporting to retweeting the basic news, they were hostile toward the Swiss action:
markthomasinfo - Extraditing Roman Polanski not in Swiss national interests -which are tax dodging, nazi gold and rapist harboring apparently.
29 minutes ago via web
Duwli - Alarming! where's d unified voice on sexual abuse? RT @Ispookhorses: RT @Movieline Roman Polanski Free After Swiss Reject Extradition http
half a minute ago via Twee in reply to Ispookhorses
owillis - Switzerland Loves Child Rapists, Releases Roman Polanski http://fb.me/vaak1Hr5
about 1 hour ago via Facebook
Unusual in this Twitter development is that the subject "Roman Polanski" is on top of "Hannah Montana Forever," leading to this tweet from Gary Busey:
GaryJBusey - I love how Roman Polanski is on top of Hannah Montana Forever in the trending topics, because that's how it's written in his Trapper Keeper.
about 1 hour ago via web
But lost in all of this reaction is that fact that if Roger Gunson had made a deal with Polanski, and the court looked at Polanski's stay in a psychiatric unit as jail time, then Polanski ran the risk of being jailed twice. Of course, Polanski's fleeing the United States prevented that mistake from happening.
Made The Ghost Writer
Being under house arrest did not stop Roman Polanski from working. Even though he could not step beyond the property line of his three-story chalet reportedly called "The Milky Way," he could receive visitors. That's how he was able to complete and release the movie The Ghost Writer.
What will the U.S. do? Stay tuned.
This is very disappointing to hear. Time does not make a crime disappear! And I don't even care if the victim doesn't want him prosecuted now. It's not about her, it's about the sovereignty of our justice system; it is disgusting that a celebrity can get of the hook for a crime like this, no matter how long ago it occurred. Justice should know no time limits!
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