Whaling opponent Watson launched from jail in Greenland | EUROtoday

Whaling opponent Paul Watson is free – after months in Greenland custody. The 74-year-old is not going to be extradited to Japan regardless of a world arrest warrant, his legal professionals mentioned. He can now journey to France to be along with his household.

Well-known whaling opponent and environmental activist Paul Watson is not going to be extradited to Japan after months in custody in Greenland. This was determined by the Danish Ministry of Justice. The 74-year-old can now journey to his household in France, a lawyer for the activist, Julie Stage, advised the Ritzau information company.

According to the Greenland police, Watson was launched from custody that morning following the ministry’s determination. This brings an finish to a number of months of wrestle over Watson’s extradition shortly earlier than Christmas.

He feels nice, Watson mentioned in a video name with the AFP information company after his launch in Greenland. His arrest drew worldwide consideration to “Japan’s ongoing illegal whaling” and due to this fact his months in custody have been “an extension” of his marketing campaign.

Arrested in Greenland

The Canadian-American citizen was arrested in July within the Greenland capital Nuuk on the premise of a world arrest warrant issued by Japan after he entered the port there on the ship “John Paul DeJoria” to refuel there. As a part of an operation in opposition to a brand new Japanese whaling ship within the North Pacific, it was on its solution to the Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic to the Pacific by way of the Arctic.

Greenland is basically autonomous, however is formally a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The closing determination on extradition rested with the Danish Ministry of Justice. The AFP information company reported that Denmark determined in opposition to extradition as a result of the incident on which the arrest warrant was primarily based occurred over 14 years in the past. In addition, loads of time has already handed since Watson’s arrest and a potential extradition would even have taken a very long time.

Whale protectors utilizing controversial strategies

Watson is without doubt one of the most well-known whale protectors and the protagonist of the tv documentary “Whale Wars – War on the Whalers!”. He was as soon as one of many first members of Greenpeace and later based the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Given his confrontational strategies in defending animals, some environmentalists think about him a hero, whereas others think about him too radical. Watson’s actions have triggered authorized hassle in varied international locations, particularly in whaling and fishing nations.

One of the international locations that Watson has antagonized is Japan. After an incident with a whaling ship in Antarctica in 2010, the Japanese authorities issued the arrest warrant in opposition to him and accused him of damaging the ship and stopping the whalers from doing their work.

Watson denied guilt. His legal professionals criticized the allegations as only a pretext to take motion in opposition to him as a result of he had made public violations by Japan of agreements to guard whales. There have been a number of worldwide calls and demonstrations for his launch.