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Denmark has rejected a Japanese request to extradite anti-whaler activist Paul Watson on criminal charges dating back more than a decade, a Danish lawyer representing Watson said on Tuesday.
Watson, 74, a Canadian-American and founder of the conservation group Sea Shepherd and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, has been released from custody in the Greenlandic capital Nuuk, Greenland police said.
Watson was arrested when his ship docked in the Danish autonomous region in July.
“Paul is free !!!,” wrote Sea Shepherd France on the X social platform.
Denmark’s justice ministry said it based its decision on an overall assessment, including the age of the case, and in particular uncertainty over whether time spent in Greenlandic custody could be deducted from any final sentence in Japan.
“Based on correspondence with the Japanese authorities on this matter, the Department of Justice believes that it cannot be assumed with sufficient certainty that this will be the case,” Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said in a statement.
Watson’s attorney, Julie Stage, said she was pleased with the decision.
“We think it took a long time, but the most important thing is that it ended with the right decision,” Stage said.
“He was happy and relieved, but incredibly calm, which he was throughout the whole process,” she said after speaking with Watson on Tuesday.
Charges related to the 2010 incident
Japan has issued an international warrant for Watson’s arrest, seeking him on charges of breaking into a Japanese ship in the Antarctic Ocean in 2010, interfering with its business and causing injury and property damage.
A spokesman for the Japanese embassy in Copenhagen declined to comment. Japan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Watson has denied the charges against him. His lawyers said the Japanese justice system could not be trusted to give the activist a fair trial and that Denmark should reject the extradition request.
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Supporters of Watson have launched a campaign for his release, garnering support from politicians and celebrities including French President Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte Bardot and Irish actor Pierce Brosnan.
France, where Watson has resided since 2023, has also discussed Watson’s case at the ministerial level, according to Denmark’s Ministry of Justice.
A spokesman for the Japanese embassy in Copenhagen declined to comment.
Watson left Sea Shepherd in 2022 to start his own organization. He was also a leading member of Greenpeace before leaving in 1977 due to disagreements over tactics.
