The Unsavory Company Knox Would Be Foolish To Aspire To: 160 Americans On The Run From Interpol

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I am slightly surprised that nobody seems to have noted the news in the last week that California prosecutors are renewing their attempts to extradite unrepentant child rapist Roman Polanski.  He is in Poland right now.  It is not clear that there is an extradition treaty with Poland but there is some suggestion that they would be somewhat (and only “somewhat”) more sympathetic to a request than France or Switzerland, which both wimped out and refused to extradite.

The guy, who is considered a avant-garde film director in some liberal circles, was actually convicted after he pled guilty to having sex with a 13 year old girl (aspiring actress) that he drugged. He got cold feet prior to sentencing and so he fled in 1977.

The case is at least useful to raise in American media as an example why the US had better not play games with a Knox extradition if they want other countries to respect similar requests.

Excellent catch Gonzaga. There is an Interpol Red Notice for Polanski.

http://www.interpol.int/notice/search/wanted/2005-47995

There was a 2009 request for extradition from Switzerland. (France where he lives seems least likely to extradite one of its citizens.) Polled opinion in the US and Europe still runs against him.

Based admittedly on very little reading, I never thought he was other than guilty, end of story. That was until a few months ago when I watched this 2008 documentary which has shown up a lot on US pay-cable recently, and which moved me to the “undecided” column.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157705/

The documentary suggests that a LA prosecutor and judge came to an arrangement with Polanski for his punishment, but then ratted on him, so he skipped out, and that since then the LA prosecutors office has blown hot and cold several times.

The victim Samantha Geimer appears in the documentary. She sides quite strongly with Polanski. From photos taken of her back then, it was perhaps not too obvious that she was only 13: even now she seems proud she was something of a Lolita.

This same claimed proof is known to those in Poland who would decide on arrest and extradition. This by Reuters just went up so I guessed he convinced them.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/15/us-polanski-poland-idUSKBN0KO1DF20150115

Do you see this impacting the Knox case? The public pool of evidence against her and US perception of guilt seem to be moving to the majority;

Also the US-Italy extradition treaty is minimalist in its requirements for those already convicted, so she may not be able to pull a Polanski. Especially as RS and Guede could both weigh in against her and the pesky Massei scenario.

I was in Switzerland some time ago for the Montreau Jazz Festival. (Miles was still alive) Wonderful country amazing place to live. BUT don’t go there without oodles of cash because you will be broke in about a week.

Where next:

Or to next entry Justice System Comparisons #1: If Meredith’s Murder Had Taken Place In Common-Law Countries

Or to previous entry The Dangers Of Not Extraditing Convicted Felons Labeled An Explosive Threat To Other People