Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will not be extradited to face Japanese charges

Denmark has rejected a Japanese request to extradite anti-whaling activist Paul Watson on criminal charges dating back more than a decade, a Danish lawyer representing Watson said on Tuesday.

Greenland police said that Watson, 74, a Canadian-American and founder of the environmental advocacy group Sea Shepherd and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, has now been released from detention in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.

Watson was arrested when his ship docked in the autonomous Danish region in July.

“Free Paul!!!,” Sea Shepherd France wrote on social media platform X.

The Danish Ministry of Justice said it based its decision on a comprehensive assessment, including the age of the case, and in particular the uncertainty over whether time spent by detainees in Greenland could be deducted from any final ruling in Japan.

“Based on correspondence with Japanese authorities regarding this matter, the Ministry of Justice believes that it cannot be assumed with the necessary degree of certainty that this is the case,” Justice Minister Peter Hommelgaard said in a statement.

Watson’s attorney, Julie Steg, said she was satisfied with the decision.

“We think it took a long time, but the most important thing is that it ended up being the right decision,” Steg said.

“He was happy and relaxed but incredibly calm, which he was throughout the whole process,” she said after speaking with Watson on Tuesday.

Charges related to the 2010 incident

Japan had issued an international arrest warrant for Watson, prosecuting him on charges of storming a Japanese ship in the Antarctic Ocean in 2010, obstructing its work and causing injuries and property damage.

A spokesman for the Japanese Embassy in Copenhagen declined to comment. The Japanese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Watson denied the accusations against him. His lawyers said the Japanese judicial system could not be trusted to give the activist a fair trial, and that Denmark should reject the extradition request.

Watson’s supporters have launched a campaign for his release, enlisting the support of politicians and celebrities, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte Bardot, and Irish actor Pierce Brosnan.

France, where Watson has resided since 2023, has also discussed Watson’s case at ministerial level, according to the Danish Ministry of Justice.

A spokesman for the Japanese Embassy in Copenhagen declined to comment.

Watson left Sea Shepherd in 2022 to start his own organization. He was also a senior member of Greenpeace before leaving in 1977 amid disagreements over tactics.