Sea Shephered founder Paul Watson was released from Nuuk prison in Greenland on Tuesday, December 17. He was threatened with extradition to Japan.
Arrested on July 21, the founder of the NGO Sea Shepherd and defender of whales, Paul Watson, is now a free man. Until then imprisoned in Nuuk (Greenland), he was released this Tuesday, December 17, 2024. “He is free, the Ministry of Justice has just informed us that it rejected the extradition request”, indicated his lawyer to from Agence-France-Presse (AFP). Indeed, Denmark decided not to extradite the activist to Japan, as was initially planned. The 74-year-old said he was delighted to be able to “come home for Christmas”. He had not seen his two sons since June.
As a reminder, Paul Watson was arrested last July during a stopover in Greenland, after the relaunch of a request issued by Japan in 2012, by an Interpol red notice. He is accused of “obstructing a commercial activity”, and of being responsible for damages and injuries during clashes with a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctica, two years earlier. “We are very moved and very happy with this decision. I think the Danes were convinced that extradition to Japan was not justified and would have exposed him to a disproportionate risk”, welcomesMaître François Zimeray, counsel to Paul Watson, with BFMTV.
The length of detention and the nature of the acts called into question?
Denmark’s refusal to extradite Paul Watson to Japan lies in “the length of Paul Franklin Watson’s detention following his arrest on July 21, 2024, and until a possible extradition order can be executed, and on [le] fact that the acts for which extradition is requested date back more than fourteen years, as well as [sur] the nature of [ces] acts”, indicates the court decision consulted by AFP.
However, “the fight is not over”, tempers Jean Tamalet of the cabinet King & Spalding from the AFP. Indeed, “We will now have to attack the red notice and the Japanese arrest warrant, in order to be certain that Captain Paul Watson can once again travel anywhere in the world, with complete peace of mind, and never experience another episode similar,” he says. The creator of Sea Shepherd described his incarceration as an “extension of the campaign” led by his NGO. According to him, his arrest helped to draw “the attention of the international community to Japan’s continued illegal whaling operations.”
If those close to Paul Watson affirm that “there is a presumption of guilt” in Japan, as indicated by Me Zimeray, Denmark has reiterated its clear position on the subject. The non-extradition of the environmental activist “does not mean that Denmark shares the concerns that have been expressed in some quarters about the Japanese legal system and the protection of human rights in Japan in the context of this specific case” , says the Danish Minister of Justice, Peter Hummelgaard. “Japan is a democratic society governed by the rule of law which respects fundamental human rights,” he concludes.