Showing posts with label extradition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label extradition. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an affilate of the terrorist organisation, have offered to free a British-South African hostage if Abu Qatada, the radical cleric, is allowed to choose a country for his extradition, according to the US monitoring service SITE.
AQIM also threatened that Britain would "open the door of evil" unto its country and people should it send the imam back to his native Jordan where he faces jail, the report said.
The group which is Al-Qaeda's North African franchise - has been holding Stephen Malcolm and two other western men hostage since abducting them last November in the northern Mali desert city of Timbuktu.
Britain has been trying to deport Abu Qatada for more than six years, arguing he is a threat to national security, to Jordan, where the cleric was convicted in 1998 in absentia of involvement in terror attacks. » | Source: AFP | Monday, April 30, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The judges gave a final ruling on six extradition cases in a verdict which effectively passed judgment on whether America's treatment of terrorist suspects amounts to "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" in breach of the European human rights code.
They decided it would be lawful for five of the six to be jailed for the rest of their lives in a so-called 'super-max' prison.
The ruling stated that the five, including radical preacher Abu Hamza, would not be subject to "ill-treatment" at ADX Florence, a so-called 'super-max' prison. The court adjourned its decision on Haroon Rashid Aswat pending consideration of further complaints lodged by him.
The ruling granted the men the right to appeal to the court's Grand Chamber, meaning any extradition could be some time away.
Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "very pleased" by the ruling. » | Matthew Holehouse | Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Thursday, February 24, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden for alleged sex offences, a judge has ruled.District Judge Howard Riddle rejected the defence's claims that their client could not get a fair trial because of media coverage and even comments by the country's Prime Minister in Parliament.
The 39-year-old Australian faces three charges of sexually assaulting one woman and one charge of raping another during a week-long visit to Stockholm in August. >>> | Thursday, February 24, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: WikiLeaks founder handed verdict at Belmarsh magistrates court
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is to be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault. Assange will appeal, his legal team confirmed. If this is unsuccessful, he will be extradited to Sweden in 10 days.
Delivering his ruling at a hearing at Belmarsh magistrates court in London, the chief magistrate Howard Riddle systematically dismissed each of the defence's arguments against Assange's extradition.
Assange's legal team had disputed that Swedish prosecutor, Marianne Ny, had the authority to issue a European arrest warrant, but the judge ruled that she did possess this authority and the warrant issued was valid. >>> Esther Addley and Alexandra Topping | Thursday, February 24, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Julian Assange extradition decision: full judgment – Read the judgment ordering the Wikileaks founder to be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault >>> | Thursday, February 24, 2011
THE GUARDIAN – BLOG: Follow reactions to the ruling on The Guardian’s live blog >>>
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Lawyers for WikiLeaks' founder say he could face death penalty or torture if he is extradited to the US via Sweden.
Defence attorneys for Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has said he could end up facing the death penalty in the US if the UK extradites him to Sweden, where he is accused of sex crimes.
The lawyers fear that Sweden will in turn hand him over to the US.
Following Assange's appearance in a London court on Tuesday, his attorneys published an outline of the defence he will use at a full extradition hearing scheduled for February 7.
"There is a real risk that, if extradited to Sweden, the US will seek his extradition and/or illegal rendition to the USA, where there will be a real risk of him being detained at Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere" according to a legal memo on the website of the law firm Finers Stephens Innocent.
"Indeed, if Mr Assange were rendered to the USA, without assurances that the death penalty would not be carried out, there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty."
The Australian citizen, who has angered the US and other states by releasing embarrassing classified US diplomatic cables, is wanted by Sweden for questioning over alleged sexual offences against two women in Sweden last summer.
According to his lawyer, the allegations stem from a dispute over "consensual but unprotected sex". >>> | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Justice ministry says it won't extradite the film director because allegations of judicial misconduct have yet to be disproved and because prosecutors didn't immediately seek the fugitive's arrest.
In the end, the move by Swiss authorities to free Roman Polanski did not come down to whether he drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl.
Instead, the Swiss government's refusal Monday to extradite the director centered in part on a controversial 1977 backroom meeting that a Los Angeles judge held with the prosecutor and defense attorney on the case.
Polanski's lawyers say the judge made it clear at the meeting that he intended to send the director to prison for a 90-day psychiatric test as his full sentence behind bars. They say that Polanski completed his punishment when prison authorities released him after 42 days and that the filmmaker fled the country when the judge indicated he would send him back to prison.
The Swiss justice ministry cited the meeting in a statement explaining its decision, saying that a U.S. court's ruling that kept some records about the meeting secret created "persisting doubts concerning the presentation of the facts of the case."
"In these circumstances, it is not possible to exclude with the necessary certainty that Roman Polanski has already served the sentence he was condemned to at the time," the statement said.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said he was "genuinely surprised and disappointed" by the legal reasoning behind the decision.
He described the failure to return Polanski as a "disservice to justice."
Experts said the latest development in the long-running legal saga was a blow to Cooley's office. Continue reading and comment >>>
TIME: Fugitive filmmaker Roman Polanski's onscreen dramas are rivaled only by his private ones. The latest plot twist came Sept. 26, when the director of Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby and The Pianist touched down at Zurich airport to find police waiting to arrest him in connection with charges of a 1977 sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl. Polanski, 76, was arriving in Switzerland to collect a lifetime-achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival. Fast Facts: >>> Laura Fitzpatrick | Monday, September 28, 2009
TIME: Polanski's Arrest: Why the French Are Outraged – Although the cultural divide between Europe and the U.S. has narrowed over the years, the legal fate of director Roman Polanski shows there are still major differences. Polanski's arrest in Switzerland on Sept. 26 [2009] was greeted with satisfaction in the U.S., where authorities hope he will face sentencing for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Europeans, meanwhile, are shocked and dismayed that an internationally acclaimed artist could be jailed for such an old offense. >>> Bruce Crumley, Paris | Monday, September 28, 2009
Related articles and videos >>>
NZZ ONLINE: In den amerikanischen Medien wird der Entscheid, Roman Polanski nicht auszuliefern, relativ nüchtern zur Kenntnis genommen. Ob die Freilassung des renommierten Filmemachers mehr recht denn schlecht ist, mag niemand so recht beantworten.
Es bleibt der Haftbefehl
Die Schweizer Behörden hätten nicht in der Frage, ob der Regisseur eine damals minderjährige Person sexuell missbraucht habe, geurteilt, schreibt die «Los Angeles Times». Die Aufhebung des Hausarrests sei vielmehr von technischer Natur, weil die amerikanischen Justizbehörden den Schweizern die Akteneinsicht verweigert hätten.
Dennoch sei der Sieg, den Polanski durch die Aufhebung der Auslieferungshaft in der Schweiz davonträgt, ein kleiner. Der Haftbefehl bleibe; die zu den längsten Kriminalsaga der kalifornischen Kriminaljustiz zählende Causa Polanski gehe bloss in eine weitere Runde, folgert die «Los Angeles Times». Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> hoh. | Dienstag, 13. Juli 2010
THE GUARDIAN: French parliament approves ban on face veils: Move sparks concern amongst Muslim and human rights groups but is popular with French voters >>> Associated Press | Tuesday, July 13, 2010
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Die französische Regierung hat das Verbot für die Vollverschleierung muslimischer Frauen vorgestellt. Frauen, die gezwungen werden eine Burka zu tragen, können ihre Männer anklagen.
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Die französische Nationalversammlung diskutiert derzeit über ein Burka-Verbot. Mit dem von der konservativen Regierung eingebrachten Gesetzentwurf sollen sämtliche Ganzkörperverschleierungen aus dem öffentlichen Raum verbannt werden. Zum Aufakt der Debatte hat sich Justizministerin Michèle Alliot-Marie für das geplante Gesetz starkgemacht.
Verbunden >>>
Monday, July 12, 2010
THE NEW YORK TIMES: BERN, Switzerland (AP) -- The Swiss government has rejected a U.S. extradition request for Roman Polanski on a charge of having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
The Justice Ministry said Monday in a statement that national interests were taken into consideration in the decision, and that Polanski was now a free man. [Source: The New York Times] | The Associated Press | Monday, 12, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Roman Polanski is free after the Swiss government rejected a US extradition request on a charge that the film director had sexual intercourse in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
The Justice Ministry said in a statement that national interests were taken into consideration in the decision, and that Polanski was now a free man.
"The reason for the decision lies in the fact that it was not possible to exclude with the necessary certainty a fault in the US extraditionary request," the Swiss Justice Ministry said in a statement.
Polanski had suggested the case against him was unjust and riddled with discrepancies.
Polish-born Polanski, 76, won a best director Oscar for his portrait of life in the Warsaw Jewish ghetto of the Second World War in "The Pianist".
The announcement follows months of uncertainty over whether Polanski would have to return to the United States after having been arrested in September 2009 upon arrival in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award at a film festival.
His arrest prompted an outcry in the global film industry and in some political circles in France, where he has been a long-time resident, with directors from Woody Allen to Martin Scorsese to Jean-Luc Godard showing public support for the director.
After a short jail stint, Polanski, who holds dual French and Polish citizenship, was put under house arrest in December 2009 at his chalet in luxury ski resort Gstaad while Swiss officials awaited the outcome of US legal proceedings.
Polanski pleaded guilty to having sexual intercourse with the girl but fled the United States on the eve of his 1978 sentencing because he believed a judge might overrule his plea and put him in jail for 50 years. >>> | Monday, July 12, 2010
LE FIGARO: La Suisse a annoncé lundi son refus d'extrader le cinéaste franco-polonais, assigné depuis le 4 décembre dans son chalet de Gstaad.
Il aura fallu presque un an à la justice suisse pour trancher. Roman Polanski «ne sera pas extradé vers les Etats-Unis et les mesures de restriction de sa liberté sont levées», a annoncé lundi la ministre suisse de la Justice. «Les clarifications approfondies qui ont été menées à bien n'ont pas permis d'exclure avec toute la certitude voulue que la demande d'extradition américaine présentait un vice», a fait valoir Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf au cours d'une conférence de presse. >>> Par Flore Galaud | Lundi 12 Juillet 2010
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: BERNE | Le cinéaste franco-polonais ne sera pas extradé vers les Etats-Unis, vient d'annocer la conseillère fédérale Evelyn Widmer-Schlumpf. Roman Polanski est libre.
La demande d'extradition américaine de Roman Polanski pouvait présenter un vice. Les clarifications approfondies n'ont pas permis d'exclure une telle éventualité avec toute la certitude voulue, a expliqué lundi la conseillère fédérale Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf.
L'Office fédéral de la justice (OFJ) a demandé le 3 mars 2010 aux autorités américaines de lui faire parvenir, à titre de complément à la demande, le procès-verbal d'une audition du procureur Roger Gunson, alors chargé du dossier, menée le 26 janvier 2010. >>> ATS | Lundi 12 Juillet 2010
NZZ ONLINE: Die Schweiz liefert Starregisseur Roman Polanski nicht aus. Justizministerin Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf begründete den Entscheid mit einer mangelnden Kooperation der USA. Seit Freitag, 11 Uhr 30, ist Polanski ein freier Mann.
Die Schweiz liefert den vor knapp 10 Monaten verhafteten Regisseur Roman Polanski doch nicht an die USA aus. Justizministerin Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf begründete den Entscheid mit einer mangelnden Kooperation der USA.
Polanski hatte argumentiert, er habe die Strafe schon abgesessen. Er sei für den sexuellen Missbrauch einer 13-Jährigen im Jahre 1977 bereits verurteilt worden und habe damals nach einem Schuldbekenntnis für eine diagnostische Untersuchung 42 Tage in einem kalifornischen Gefängnis verbracht. Der damalige Richter, der inzwischen verstorben ist, habe zugesichert, dass Polanski keine weitere Haftstrafe absitzen müsse, erklärte der Regisseur.
Die USA sind offenbar nicht bereit, hierüber Klarheit zu schaffen. Wie die Justizministerin vor den Medien erklärte, hat sich die Schweiz vergeblich um das entsprechende Protokoll bemüht. In dieser Situation könne die Schweiz den Regisseur nicht ausliefern. Denn ein Mangel im Auslieferungsgesuch der USA sei damit nicht auszuschliessen.
Polanski stehe nicht länger unter Hausarrest, erklärte Widmer-Schlumpf. «Er ist seit 11 Uhr 30 ein freier Mann», betonte sie. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> tsf | Montag, 12. Juli 2010
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Der Regisseur wird nicht an die USA ausgeliefert. Zur Begründung wies das Schweizer Justizministerium darauf hin, dass ein Mangel im Auslieferungsgesuch der USA nicht ausgeschlossen werden könne.
THE GUARDIAN: The prurient hounding of Roman Polanski is over at last: The Swiss decision not to extradite the director is just – it was a vengeful demand and his victim wanted the case closed >>> Agnès Poirier | Monday, July 12, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
LE FIGARO: Charlotte Lewis, 42 ans, a déclaré à la presse qu'elle avait été «abusée sexuellement de la pire façon possible» par le cinéaste, actuellement assigné à résidence en Suisse dans l'attente d'une éventuelle extradition aux Etats-Unis.
Roman Polanski à nouveau dans la tourmente. Une actrice britannique a affirmé à Los Angeles avoir été «abusée sexuellement» par le cinéaste Roman Polanski dans son appartement parisien au début des années 80, alors qu'elle était âgée de 16 ans. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Samedi 15 Mai 2010
Sunday, May 02, 2010
LE FIGARO: Toujours poursuivi aux Etats-Unis pour avoir eu des relations sexuelles avec une mineure en 1977, le cinéaste franco-polonais continue de clamer son innocence dans une lettre ouverte publiée dimanche.
«Je ne peux plus me taire.» Dimanche soir, Roman Polanski a décidé de rompre le silence dans lequel il s'était muré depuis plusieurs mois en publiant un texte dans lequel il considère que la demande d'extradition dont il fait l'objet aux Etats-Unis «est basée sur un mensonge». «Je ne peux plus me taire parce que les Etats-Unis continuent de réclamer mon extradition plus pour me livrer en pâture aux médias du monde entier que pour prononcer un jugement sur lequel un accord a été pris il y a 33 ans», écrit-il dans cette lettre publiée sur un site Internet dirigé par le philosophe Bernard-Henri Lévy.
«Je ne peux plus me taire car la demande d'extradition aux autorités suisses est basée sur un mensonge», poursuit le cinéaste franco-polonais à propos de son incarcération en dans une prison de Californie durant 42 jours en 1977. Selon Polanski, poursuivi aux Etats-Unis pour avoir eu cette année-là des relations sexuelles avec une adolescente de 13 ans, cette incarcération correspondait à la peine à laquelle il aurait du être condamné et qu'il aurait par conséquent déjà exécutée. >>> Par Bastien Hugues | Dimanche 02 Mai 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski has lost his latest bid to be sentenced while outside the United States for having unlawful sex with a minor more than three decades ago.
Affirming the decision of a Los Angeles judge in January, a state appeals court ruled Polanski must return to California before he can be sentenced and bring his 33-year-long legal saga to a close.
The decision clears the way for Swiss authorities to extradite the 78-year-old fugitive filmmaker to the US. >>> Times Online | Friday, April 23, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
THE TELEGRAPH: The film director Roman Polanski said he was overwhelmed by messages of support as he battles extradition to the US to face a decades-old sex case involving a 13-year-old girl.
"In the darkest moments, each of their notes has been a source of comfort and hope, and they continue to be so in my current situation," wrote Polanski in a letter released online.
The 76-year-old Oscar winner made his first public statement since his arrest in September in a letter to the French philospher Bernard-Henri Levy, who has been been one of his strongest supporters.
The director of Rosemary's Baby and The Pianist is living under house arrest at his chalet in the Swiss Alpine resort of Gstaad after being released on bail on Dec 4.
Swiss authorities have said a decision on his extradition to the US is expected in January.
"I have been overwhelmed by the number of messages of support and sympathy I have received in Winterthur prison, and that I continue to receive here, in my chalet in Gstaad, where I am spending the holidays with my wife and my children," Polanski wrote. >>> | Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
LE TEMPS: L’Office fédéral de la justice a reçu hier une demande formelle d’extradition pour le cinéaste franco-polonais, incarcéré en Suisse dans le cadre d’un mandat d’arrêt américain depuis le 26 septembre. Roman Polanski risque deux ans de prison aux Etats-Unis.
Les Etats-Unis avaient 40 jours pour faire parvenir une demande formelle d’extradition après l’arrestation, le délai a donc étré respecté, explique l’OFJ dans un communiqué. L’Office va transmettre cette demande au canton de Zurich, chargé de la notifier au cinéaste qui disposera d’un délai pour faire des observations et dire s’il accepte cette extradition.
L’OFJ sur cette base décidera ensuite s’il convient d’accorder ou non son extradition aux Etats-Unis. La décision de l’OFJ sera susceptible de recours dans les trente jours auprès du Tribunal pénal fédéral et, en dernière instance, auprès du Tribunal fédéral. >>> Le Temps | Vendredi 23 Octobre 2009
THE TELEGRAPH: The United States has formally asked Switzerland to extradite the detained Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski over a three-decades-old child sex case, Swiss authorities said on Friday.
"The US Embassy in Bern submitted the formal extradition request to the Federal Office of Justice on 22 October 2009, within the deadline of 40 days stipulated under the bilateral extradition treaty," the Swiss Federal Office of Justice said in a statement.
The request would be forwarded to the canton of Zurich, where Polanski was detained upon his arrival on September 26 to collect an award at the city's film festival.
A local court will then hold a hearing and, "based on the results of the hearing and the information provided by Polanski's lawyer," the justice office will decide if it should accept the extradition request.
"The authorities in Zurich will take charge of the Roman Polanski hearing. They will hold a verbal hearing that would be transmitted to us," Folco Galli, spokesman for the justice office, said.
If the federal justice office accepted the extradition request, Polanski can appeal against the decision before the country's top criminal court.
He will also have a further chance to appeal to the federal supreme court.
Polanski's lawyer Herve Temime said the film director will fight the US request.
"Mr Polanski is not changing course. He will not accept the US extradition request," Temime told AFP. >>> | Friday, October 23, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
THE TELEGRAPH: The film director Roman Polanski has lost his bid to be bailed from prison in Switzerland ahead of his possible extradition to the US over his 1977 conviction for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old-girl, Samantha Geimer.
"We continue to be of the opinion that there is a high risk of flight," said Folco Galli, a Swiss justice ministry spokesman.
He said the risk was too great for the government to accept bail or other security measures in exchange for the release of the filmmaker.
Polanski, 76, the director of Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby and The Pianist, was arrested on Sept 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival. Authorities in Los Angeles consider him a convicted felon and a fugitive, and Switzerland says there has been an international warrant for his arrest since 2005.
His legal representatives are also asking Switzerland's highest criminal court to free Polanski. Mr Galli said the justice ministry has submitted a letter to the tribunal explaining why it opposes release even on bail.
Two former Zurich prosecutors have said Polanski stands a minimal chance of an immediate release.
Dieter Jann said extradition would be hard to fight, and he thought Switzerland had followed procedures correctly. Peter Cosandey added that Polanski was unlikely to be released because he is not a permanent resident and had already jumped bail years ago in the US. >>> | Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
LE TEMPS: Le malaise que suscite l’arrestation du cinéaste s’étend. Pointant une marge de manoeuvre restreinte, la ministre des Affaires étrangères n’a pas caché son embarras. Roman Polanski s’oppose quant à lui à son extradition
Le malaise que suscite l’arrestation de Roman Polanski, samedi soir à l’aéroport de Zurich, continue de s’étendre. Hier, à l’occasion de son Club de la presse diplomatique, Micheline Calmy-Rey n’a pas caché son embarras sur l’affaire, envoyant au passage une pique à l’adresse de la police fédérale et donc par ricochet à celle d’Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. «Sur le plan légal, la procédure ne soulève aucun doute. Mais on peut peut-être se poser des questions sur la finesse de l’intervention», a souligné la ministre des Affaires étrangères, interrogée sur l’opportunité d’arrêter le cinéaste alors qu’un festival s’apprêtait précisément à le célébrer.
Précisant que le Département fédéral des Affaires étrangères (DFAE) n’avait pas été informé au préalable de cette intervention, Micheline Calmy-Rey a toutefois souligné la faible marge de manœuvre de la Suisse. «La voie est tout de même étroite, car on ne peut pas traiter différemment les gens connus et ceux qui ne le sont pas. Cela, en Suisse, on ne l’accepte pas», a souligné la ministre, estimant que le pays «peut en être fier». Enfin, réagissant «aux liens faits par certains» entre les affaires Polanski et UBS, Micheline Calmy-Rey a vivement rejeté ces allégations: «Nous ne sommes pas à la botte des Etats-Unis.» >>> Valentine Zubler | Mercredi 30 Septembre 2009
LE TEMPS: Les médias internationaux assiègent la métropole de la Limmat dans l’espoir d’en apprendre plus sur le sort du cinéaste. Ce dernier espère obtenir sa libération malgré une loi peu favorable
Quelques stations de télévision étrangères sont installées devant le tribunal de district de Zurich à la Badenerstrasse, bâtiment qui abrite également la prison de district de la ville. Mais rien n’indique que Roman Polanski se trouve bien là.
«Pour garantir l’ordre et la sécurité de l’exploitation, nous ne pouvons pas dire où est incarcéré Roman Polanski», explique Rebecca de Silva, porte-parole de l’Office zurichois d’exécution des peines. Entre Berne et Zurich, on se renvoie la balle sur les conditions de détention du régisseur. Seule certitude, Roman Polanski bénéficie des standards minimums garantis par les autorités zurichoises: une heure de promenade par jour, une heure de visite par semaine réservée à son épouse. Il pourrait même, mais il n’y est pas obligé, travailler pendant six heures par jour au maximum, coller des enveloppes ou des boîtes en carton par exemple, précise encore Rebecca de Silva.
Le Tages-Anzeiger, sur son site internet, prend un malin plaisir à semer le doute. Neuf prisons sur le territoire du canton peuvent en théorie accueillir l’hôte illustre. Les journalistes étrangers attendent probablement devant le faux bâtiment, car il y a de fortes chances que l’on ait emmené la star dans une petite prison en dehors de la ville. Une thèse confirmée par la discrétion avec laquelle la femme du régisseur, l’actrice Emmanuelle Seigner, a pu lui rendre visite lundi. Même le Blick n’est pas arrivé à la surprendre, et a publié d’elle une photo prise à son retour à Paris. Un maître du barreau >>> Catherine Cossy et Sylvie Arsever | Mercredi 30 Septembre 2009
TIMES ONLINE:
Roman Polanski getting by on £3 a day pocket money in prison >>> David Charter in Zurich | Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
TIMES ONLINE: The Duchess of York faces questioning, and possible arrest and extradition to Turkey over allegations that she and her daughter Eugenie broke privacy laws by filming undercover in Turkish institutions for the disabled.
The Turkish government is believed to have lodged an official request for the British police to help it to secure evidence that the Duchess broke the country's strict privacy laws.
The Metropolitan Police and the Home Office are thought to be discussing the request, which arrived through the formal procedure for Mutual Legal Assistance between different countries.
Under the arrangement, British detectives would question the Duchess and relay their findings to their Turkish counterparts, who could then request further action such as her arrest and extradition.
Neither the Home Office nor the Met would comment on the record about Turkey's request this morning. But a Home Office source told The Sun newspaper last night: "We have received a request from the Turkish government for an MLA in relation to the Duchess of York. We are now awaiting the necessary paperwork but it seems likely the request will be granted."
The row concerns an episode of ITV1's Tonight programme, filmed last September and broadcast two months later, in which the Duchess and her younger daughter donned wigs and headscarves to film the cruel and spartan conditions endured by disabled women and children in two state institutions.
Eugenie wept after she saw children left tied to their beds in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu Centre for the Care of Disabled Children, where 700 youngsters are housed. The Duchess reported seeing faeces left uncleared near a bed holding two women at the Saray Rehabilitation Centre in Ankara.
Chris Rogers, an ITN correspondent who accompanied the Duchess, described what they had seen as "profoundly shocking". He reported seeing children "dressed in bedclothes and rags, some had shaven heads - which gave them the appearance of convicts rather than patients. In every corner, a child showed signs of distress, with many exhibiting the awful violent rocking of the institutionalised." >>> Jenny Booth | Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
THE TELEGRAPH: An Australian man has taken a lie detector test as part of his battle against extradition to Hungary where he is alleged to have killed a Jewish teenager during the Second World War.
Charles Zentai, 87, is listed by the US-based Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Center as among its 10 most wanted Nazis, but maintains he is innocent.
The Centre claims Zentai "participated in manhunts, persecution, and murder of Jews in Budapest in 1944".
Hungary accuses him of torturing and killing 18-year-old Peter Balazs in a Budapest army barracks on Nov 8, 1944, for failing to wear a star that would identify him as a Jew. Zentai allegedly carried out the attack while serving as a soldier in the Hungarian army, then allied with Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany.
Zentai, who emigrated to Australia in 1950 from his native Hungary, denies the allegations.
In August, a Perth magistrate ruled that Zentai could be extradited to Hungary to face war crime charges. But his lawyers appealed the ruling in the Perth federal court, arguing the crime he is accused of was not an offense under Hungarian law at the time.
Zentai's lawyer, Grant Donaldson, said the charges were not valid. >>> By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Australia) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback – Australia) >>>
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