Paul Watson freed!
December 17th: Paul Watson the veteran environmental activist who has been held in a Greenland prison since 21 July 2024 and threatened with extradition to Japan, due to anti-whaling activities in Antarctica in 2010, is freed.
After several hearings at court, the Ministry of Justice in Denmark has decided this and Paul Watson is now allowed to travel home to France. The court ruling comes after immense international outcry calling on the relevant Danish and Greenlandic institutions not to extradite Watson to Japan for numerous reasons.
The Danish Minister of Justice, Peter Hummelgaard, explains the decision in a statement from the Danish justice ministry thus:
“Today the Danish Ministry of Justice has decided not to fulfil the request by the authorities of Japan for the extradition of Paul Watson. The decision is based on an overall assessment of the case. 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.
I want to make it very clear that Denmark does not share the concerns that have been raised by certain parties in relation to the concrete case regarding the judicial system of Japan and the protection of human rights in Japan. 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.”
OceanCare was among the many groups globally raising concerns about Watson’s situation, including that it was unlikely for him to receive a fair trial in Japan and that his health was being put at risk. Furthermore, in our view, his imprisonment in Japan would be a political move that criminalized environmental activism.
You can find further background information within the Open Letter sent by OceanCare to the Danish government this autumn.
