The Swiss government's decision Monday, July 12, to decline a U.S. request to extradite Roman Polanski has ended a 10-month legal battle between the fugitive Franco-Polish filmmaker and American justice officials. But it's unlikely to end the war being waged by the U.S. justice system to force Polanski to honor the Los Angeles court date he skipped out on 32 years ago after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
The Swiss government's announcement Monday that it will not extradite Polanski to the U.S. took many observers by surprise.