Roman Polanski Will Fight Extradition: Lawyer

Roman Polanski is “shocked and dumbfounded” by the Swiss government’s decision to arrest him but is “in fighting mood” and won't be extradited easily, his lawyer said today. Diplomatic wrangling continued over Polanski’s fate, as the French and Polish foreign ministers said they had written to Hillary Clinton to ask for leniency for the director and confessed child rapist. Producer Harvey Weinstein and actors Monica Bellucci and Fanny Ardant also backed his release.

Supporters of Polanski have questioned why the Swiss government chose to arrest him now. The director has a home in the country and has visited frequently in recent years, the BBC reports. Because he was to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich film festival, law enforcement officials knew exactly when he would arrive and therefore had “no choice” but to arrest him, the justice minister said.