Swiss parliament approves of Polanski's arrest
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The Swiss parliament has approved of the government's arrest of famous film director Roman Polanski on a U.S. warrant for a 1977 case involving the rape of a 13-year-old girl, according to media reports Wednesday.
The parliament's Foreign Policy Commission said Tuesday that "Switzerland as a country of law could not have acted differently."
It added that "no special treatment for prominent personalities can be considered when it comes to crimes."
Polanski was arrested September 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival.
The Swiss authorities rejected an appeal to release Polanski and also urged a Swiss court dealing with his extradition warrant to reject another appeal by Polanski's lawyers to have him freed.
Swiss officials also refused bail for Polanski, because they believed there is a very high risk of Polanski fleeing if he is released.
Polanski pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977 and was imprisoned for 42 days undergoing psychiatric tests.
However, he fled before the case was concluded because he believed a judge would sentence him to up to 50 years behind bars despite a plea agreement for time already served.
The authorities in Los Angeles consider him a convicted felon and a fugitive.
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