Anti-Whaling Activist Paul Watson Freed From Prison

Paul Watson has finally been released from prison in Greenland after authorities refused to extradite him to Japan.

The anti-whaling activist had been held for almost five months after being apprehended in Nuuk, the capital of the Danish autonomous territory. Police arrested Watson due to an Interpol notice issued by Japan. Tokyo was seeking extradition over charges relating to alleged “ship trespass” and “accomplice to assault” in 2010. There were fears that he could face up to 15 years in prison.

Authorities in Denmark, however, have now made the decision to reject the extradition request and release Watson. Speaking to followers of Captain Paul Watson Foundation’s Instagram earlier today, Watson said: “Sometimes, going to jail is necessary to make your point. Every situation offers an opportunity, and this was another chance to shine a global spotlight on Japan’s illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary. If I had been sent to Japan, I might never have come home. I’m relieved that didn’t happen.”

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Watson is best known for founding Sea Shepherd, a global marine conservation organization, in 1977. Known for its direct-action tactics, Sea Shepherd aims to protect marine life and ecosystems by combating illegal fishing, whaling, and poaching.

Many celebrities and public figures voiced their support for Watson while he was in custody, including actor Pierce Brosnan and French president Emmanuel Macron.

Explaining the decision to release Watson, Peter Hummelgaard, Denmark’s minister for justice, said that the authorities had not received sufficient reassurance that Japan would deduct the five months he had already served in Greenland from his future sentence.

“The decision is based on an overall assessment of the case,” Hummelgaard said. “In light of the total amount of time that Paul Watson would be expected to be detained until a possible decision on extradition could be implemented, and taking into account the nature and age of the offences, it has been of particular importance for the Danish Ministry of Justice to ensure that the time Paul Watson has been detained in Greenland will be fully deducted from a potential custodial sentence that he might be sentenced to in connection with the criminal case in Japan.

“Based on the correspondence with the authorities of Japan regarding this matter, the Danish Ministry of Justice has assessed that it cannot be assumed with the necessary degree of certainty, that this would be the case.”

He added that “Japan is a democratic country guided by the rule of law. There has been a good and close dialogue with the authorities of Japan during the processing of the case.”