Official announcements from Japanese legal authorities or international news outlets

Denmark Frees Paul Watson After 149 Days in Greenland, Rejects Japan's Extradition Request

Dec 17, 2024, 01:06 PM

Paul Watson, a prominent anti-whaling activist and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has been released from detention in Greenland after Denmark rejected a Japanese request for his extradition. Watson, a 74-year-old Canadian-American, was arrested in July in Nuuk, Greenland, based on an international arrest warrant issued by Japan over a 2010 incident involving a clash with a Japanese whaling ship in the Antarctic. The Danish Ministry of Justice decided against extradition due to the age of the case and uncertainties about whether Watson's time in detention would be deducted from any potential sentence in Japan. Watson, who also founded the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, had been held for 149 days under an Interpol red notice. He expressed relief at his release, emphasizing his eagerness to reunite with his family in France before Christmas. Watson, once a founder of Greenpeace, could have faced up to 15 years in prison in Japan if extradited.