A Greenland court has decided to detain US-Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson for an additional 28 days while they consider his extradition to Japan, according to an anti-whaling group. Watson was arrested in Nuuk, the capital of the Danish autonomous territory, in July on a 2012 Japanese arrest warrant, which accuses him of damaging one of their whaling ships in the Antarctic in 2010 and injuring a whaler.
Lamya Essemlali, the head of Sea Shepherd's French branch, described the extension of Watson's detention as 'scandalous' in a statement to AFP following Wednesday's hearing. Greenland's police have also confirmed the extension, but did not specify when the next hearing would take place. Essemlali mentioned that the next hearing is scheduled for October 2, and his lawyers plan to appeal the decision.
Watson's lawyers had anticipated the court's decision to extend his custody as they continue to review the extradition request. Essemlali expressed disappointment, stating, 'We are disappointed, even though we were expecting this decision.' Watson, who founded Sea Shepherd and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF), is known for his radical tactics against whaling ships.
He was arrested on July 21 when his ship, the John Paul DeJoria, docked in Nuuk for refueling en route to intercept a Japanese whaling vessel in the North Pacific. Japan accuses Watson of injuring a crew member with a stink bomb, but his lawyers claim he is innocent and have video evidence that the crew member was not on deck when the incident occurred.
Essemlali noted that the judge agreed to review the Japanese footage but refused to consider theirs. The custody hearings are focused solely on Watson's detention, not on the question of his guilt or the extradition request. The decision on his extradition will be made independently, following assessments by both Greenland police and the Danish justice ministry.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office has called for Watson's release, along with over 100,000 people who have signed a global petition. Watson remains a controversial figure in the environmental community due to his aggressive non-violence approach. He continues to fight against whaling from his cell in Nuuk prison, stating, 'If they think it prevents our opposition, I've just changed ship. My ship right now is Prison Nuuk.'
Essemlali believes Watson's arrest has drawn significant attention to Japan's whaling practices. She emphasized the importance of exposing Japan's violations of the global moratorium on whaling. Shintaro Takeda, a former harpooner for Japan's whaling company Kyodo Senpaku, criticized Watson's actions, stating they endangered lives. Watson maintains ships in both hemispheres, ready to intervene if Iceland, Japan, or Norway resumes whaling.
