According to CNN, Roman Polanski pleaded guilty in 1977 to having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor; U.S. investigators say he drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl.

He was arrested Saturday in a Zurich airport while on his way to a film festival to receive an award for his career. Now almost 140 people in the film industry have signed a petition for his release, claiming, among other things, that this is “a case of morals.” It is apparently “inadmissible to [the people who signed] that an international cultural event, paying homage to one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, is used by the police to apprehend him.”

Some of the most respected names in Hollywood, such as Pedro Almodovar, Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Darren Aronofsky and Martin Scorsese are on this list.

Unless I’m very much mistaken, rape is not a case of morals. Rape is, apart from a lot of other things, a crime.

Polanski was sent to maximum-security prison for 42 days by the original judge in the case, according to CNN. Right before his sentencing, the judge told attorneys that he was considering sending him back to prison. After finding this out, Polanski fled the country for France, which then refused to extradite him.

Since then, his victim has sued Polanski and received a settlement from him. It should be noted that she has called for the case to be thrown out, saying that she wanted to avoid further scrutiny of both herself and her family.

But the issue discussed on the petition isn’t whether the victim wants her name dragged through the mud again, or whether the case was handled improperly the first time around. It isn’t even whether or not Polanski committed the crime, since that doesn’t seem to be under dispute. He clearly pleaded guilty to statutory rape, and he clearly ran away to avoid further imprisonment.

No, what is being claimed by the petitioners is that “Roman Polanski is a French citizen, a renown and international artist now facing extradition. This extradition, if it takes place, will be heavy in consequences and will take away his freedom.”

So basically, because Polanski won an Oscar, he should be allowed to get away with being both a fugitive and a rapist. Or, at least captured at a more convenient time.

Why he was arrested en route to a film festival is unknown, especially since he’s been wandering around Europe for years without being stopped. But does it matter? Polanski hasn’t stepped onto U.S. soil since the crime occurred, knowing full well that if he did, he would be arrested because he knowingly had sex with a 13-year-old girl and refused to face the court system.

This isn’t statutory rape because of some complicated legal jargon or a technicality; this was a girl only one year into her teens.

There is no statute of limitations on being a fugitive of the state. Polanski isn’t a hero who has successfully evaded arrest — he’s a criminal who fled the law and for one of the most disgusting acts imaginable. He needs to face the court system and accept the appropriate sentence for his crime.

And Hollywood, not to mention some of the politicians of Europe, is petitioning for his release because “Rosemary’s Baby” was a really awesome movie.