Greenland Court Extends Marine Activist Paul Watson's Detention

Imprisoned in Greenland, facing possible extradition to Japan, marine activist and Sea Shepard founder Paul Watson was in court this week where a Greenland judged ruled in favor of extending his detention. Watson was arrested on July 21 in Nuuk, Greenland, while aboard the ship the John Paul De Joria . He will now be held until at least his next court appearance on October 2.

Watson’s defense team argue that they have not been allowed present their evidence, while Japan has shown a video detailing their allegations against Watson.

“If they let us show our evidence, there would be no case,” said Watson following the hearing, his third of the court process thus far.

“For 50 years my greatest tool has been the camera…lt was Japan that was the aggressor, have faster vessels and could get out of the way or choose to ram and this is all about revenge for the TV show Whale Wars,” Watson continued.

A staunch adversary of Japan’s barbaric whaling practices, the land of the Rising Sun has been trying to put Watson in prison since 2012 when they filed a petition with Interpol. Japan points to a 2010 incident in which Watson and his crew were engaged in an anti-whaling operation that allegedly damaged a Japanese whaling vessel. After the Interpol request lapsed twice, in June of this year, Japan made a direct request to Denmark to arrest the Canadian captain.

Dedicating his live to protecting whales and the ocean at large, Watson is a co-founder of Greenpeace and founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. In 2022, he founded the Captain Paul Watson Foundation. His efforts were brought into the public consciousness via the reality TV series “Whale Wars.”

In 2019, after failing to convince the International Whaling Commission that the permit they were operating under was for scientific purposes, Japan left the commission and has continued to harvest whales. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, that year the Japanese government authorized the taking of “171 minke whales (although only 44 were taken), 187 Bryde’s whales, and 25 sei whales.”

“Quotas for 2020/2021 are lower: 100 minke whales to be taken by coastal whalers and 20 by the factory ship, with 12 more held in reserve; 150 Bryde’s whales to be taken by the factory ship, with a reserve of 37; and 25 sei whales to be taken by the factory ship,” they continue.

There has been growing outcry over Watson’s detainment, and with another month in the clink, his team of lawyers and advocates have a little more time to mount their defense, and hopefully free him before he’s potentially extradited to Japan, where he could face some very serious charges and time in prison.

Related: Ocean Conservationist Paul Watson Arrested, Facing Extradition to Japan