Denmark Rejects Japan's Request for Extradition, Frees Anti-Whaling Activist Paul Watson

[Social Media]

 

Anti-whaling advocate Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd and Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF), has been released from detention in Greenland after Denmark rejected a Japanese extradition request. Watson, 74, had been held since July when his ship docked in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, on the basis of a Japanese warrant issued in 2012. The charges stemmed from a 2010 confrontation with a whaling ship.  

 

Greenlandic police confirmed Watson's release in a statement, noting that the Danish Ministry of Justice ultimately chose not to proceed with the extradition. “He is free. We've just been informed by the Ministry of Justice, he's not going to be extradited,” said Watson's lawyer Julie Stage in a statement to AFP. Watson was officially released at 8:46 AM local time (1046 GMT) on Tuesday.  

 

The extradition request by Japan accused Watson of injuring a crew member and causing damage to the *Shonan Maru 2*, a whaling vessel, during a Sea Shepherd operation. The incident involved the use of a “stink bomb” intended to disrupt the whaling activities. Watson and his legal team, however, have maintained that the charges are unfounded. His lawyers cite video evidence showing that no crew member was on deck when the stink bomb was thrown.  

 

In its reasoning for rejecting the extradition, Denmark highlighted the significant time elapsed since the alleged incident—over 14 years—and the extended detention Watson had already endured. “The decision is based on an overall assessment of the circumstances of the specific case,” the Ministry of Justice stated.  

 

Japan has been under scrutiny for its whaling operations, which it has often justified as scientific research despite international criticism. Watson’s lawyer, François Zimeray, accused Japan of attempting to suppress Watson’s activism, saying, “Japan tried to silence a man whose only crime was to denounce the illegality of the industrial massacre disguised as scientific research.”  

 

Zimeray added that Watson would now return to his environmental advocacy. “He will now be able to resume his fight for respect for nature,” he said. Zimeray further criticized Japan’s judicial system, stating, “In Japan, there is a presumption of guilt. Prosecutors are proud to announce that they have a 99.6 percent conviction rate.”  

 

Watson has been a prominent and controversial figure in the anti-whaling movement for decades. His tactics, often radical and confrontational, were chronicled in the reality TV series *Whale Wars*, which brought international attention to his campaigns. In July, Watson’s arrest came as his ship prepared to “intercept” a new Japanese whaling factory vessel in the North Pacific, an action planned under his CPWF organization.  

 

The decision to release Watson has been celebrated by environmental activists and supporters who view his actions as part of a broader mission to protect marine life and combat illegal whaling. For now, Watson is free to continue his crusade, one that has made him both a hero to conservationists and a target for governments like Japan.  

 

Based on a report by AFP 2024-12-18

 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

The extradition request by Japan accused Watson of injuring a crew member and causing damage to the *Shonan Maru 2*, a whaling vessel, during a Sea Shepherd operation.

The killing of whales is a truly vile practice, and should be combated in the same way the slave trade was targeted at sea by the British Navy.

[Hanaguma]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The killing of whales is a truly vile practice, and should be combated in the same way the slave trade was targeted at sea by the British Navy.

Bull cookies. Whales are a protein source, nothing more.  As long as endangered species aren't taken, no different than fishing for tuna. Anthropomorphizing them is foolish. 

[JonnyF]

9 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Bull cookies. Whales are a protein source, nothing more.  As long as endangered species aren't taken, no different than fishing for tuna. Anthropomorphizing them is foolish. 

 

Exactly. 

 

"Oh but they're so big so I have to save them". What a joke. I bet it's the same type of nutters from Just Stop Oil. 

 

Reminds me of the song when Wales played England in the rugby on the TV, singing along with my Dad to annoy my Gran (his mother in law) who was from the valleys. 

 

Whales, whales, bl****y great fishes are whales,

They swim in the sea,

We eat them for tea,

Oh bl****y great fishes are whales. 

 

Great times 😆.

[quake]

All a bit rich from the Japanese authorities.

Can't remember reading about the Japanese authorities,  compensating 

 Pete Bethune for the vessel that a Japanese whaling boat ran over and sunk.

whilst having a confrontation with sea Shepard.