Source: AFP
Canadian-American anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, who was arrested in Greenland in July while his ship docked in the capital Nuuk to refuel, is facing a judge who will decide whether there is cause to extend his detention in the autonomous Danish territory. Captain Watson was arrested on an Interpol “Red Notice” 12 years ago after Japan accused him of damaging and injuring one of its whaling vessels in the Antarctic two years earlier. Watson founded Sea Shepherd in 1977 but left the organization in 2022, founding Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF) and launched the first ship, John Paul DeJoria. When Watson was captured, the ship was on its way to “intercept” a new Japanese whaling vessel in the North Pacific, according to CPWF.
In a statement, Danish police said the hearing on August 15, 2024, would not address the question of whether the 73-year-old campaigner should be extradited to Japan, a decision that would ultimately be up to the Danish Ministry of Justice. Watson’s arrest has sparked a series of protests calling for his release, with petition on CPWF website has collected nearly 60,000 signatures so far. Watson has been living in France for the past year, and French President Emmanuel Macron’s office has asked Denmark not to extradite the activist.
Watson faces charges of causing bodily harm, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years, as well as charges of obstruction of business, which could result in a prison sentence of up to three years. In a recent interview, Robert Read, executive director of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, asked Japan if it “really wants to be known for locking up one of the world’s most famous whale conservationists and letting him die in a Japanese prison.” Read pointed out that “in fact, it would be counterproductive for Japan because they would put the whaling business on trial.”
