Anti-Whaling Activist Paul Watson Freed from Greenland Jail

After Denmark turned down a request from Japan to extradite anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, he was released from prison in Greenland, where he had been held for a period of five months. However, Denmark did not extradite Watson.

Last July, Mr. Watson, who is 74 years old, was taken into custody by the authorities when his ship moored in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.

He was suspected of causing damage to a Japanese whaling ship, disrupting commerce, and assaulting a crew member during an encounter in Antarctic waters in February of 2010. The police had acted on a warrant issued by the Japanese government in 2012, which had been issued in 2012. Mr. Watson, who is a citizen of Canada and the United States of America and who appeared on the reality television show Whale Wars, had denied any violation of the law.

After he was released from prison, he stated to the AFP news agency that his time spent behind bars had been “an extension” of his campaign and had brought attention to the “illegal” whaling that was taking place in Japan.

Conservationists have voiced their strong opposition to whale hunting and the consumption of whale meat, but Japanese government officials maintain that these activities are an integral part of the culture and way of life in their country.

The Danish Ministry of Justice has stated that it would not be responding with the Japanese extradition request. The decision was made based on “the nature of circumstances” as well as the fact that the incident occurred fourteen years ago.

In an interview with the BBC, his attorney Julie Stage stated that Mr. Watson was “obviously relieved” and “looking forward to reuniting with his wife and children.”

The decision regarding his extradition was taken in Copenhagen due to the fact that Greenland is a territory that is within the jurisdiction of Denmark. Additionally, despite the fact that Japan and Denmark do not have an extradition treaty, the Japanese government has requested that Denmark send him over.

Peter Hummelgaard, the minister of justice for Denmark, stated that it had been of “central importance” to make certain that the amount of time that Mr. Watson had been detained in Greenland would be subtracted from any potential prison sentence that he would have been subjected to in Japan in the future.

In addition, he stated that the ministry came to the conclusion that “it cannot be assumed with the necessary certainty that this will be the case” after communicating with the authorities in Japan.

The vessel that Mr. Watson was operating, which was known as the M/Y John Paul DeJoria, had been sailing toward the North Pacific with a crew of twenty-six volunteers on board. The vessel had been attempting to intercept a new Japanese whaling ship when it stopped in Nuuk to refuel on July 21.

During a prior hearing for the jail sentence, Mr. Watson stated to the court that the case was “about revenge for a television show that extremely embarrassed Japan in the eyes of the world.”

He has been a contentious character for many years, and he is known for his clashes with whaling vessels while they were at sea.

Formerly the leader of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the activist quit the organization in 2022 to establish the Captain Paul Watson Foundation. He is now the founder of the organization.

In 2019, Japan resumed commercial whaling after a thirty-year hiatus, despite the fact that it continued whaling for what it said were research purposes during that time. Japan’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission came after the country resumed conducting whaling operations.