Greenland court extends anti-whaling activist's time in custody as Japan seeks his extradition

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Louise Thomas

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A court in Greenland ruled Wednesday that anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson must remain in detention until Oct. 23 to ensure his presence in connection with a decision by Denmark’s justice ministry on extradition. It was unclear when the Danes would decide whether or not to send him to Japan, where he is accused of obstructing a whaling research ship's work with violent means in 2010.

“They have deliberately thrown such objects, so it is to harm people,” prosecutor Mariam Khalil said in court, according to the Greenland newspaper Sermitsiaq, referring to potassic acid thrown at the Japanese vessel by Watson's team.

Watson, a 73-year-old Canadian-American citizen, is a former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society whose direct action tactics, including high-seas confrontations with whaling vessels, have drawn support from A-list celebrities and featured in the reality television series “Whale Wars.”

Watson was arrested on July 21 when his ship docked in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital and a court there approved his detention while Danish authorities looked into his possible extradition to Japan where he faces up to 15 years in prison, according to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark which handles police and justice matters. Japan does not have an extradition treaty with the Scandinavian country.

Japan’s coast guard sought his arrest over an encounter with a Japanese whaling research ship in 2010 when he was accused of obstructing the crew’s official duties by ordering the captain of his ship to throw explosives at the whaling ship.

The foundation posted Wednesday on X a video of Watson in his cell in Nuuk, where he said, “In 50 years, I have not caused a single injury to a single person. I have operated within the boundaries of international law and within boundaries of practicality.”

“I am confident that once the evidence here is reviewed by the appropriate authorities, there will be no grounds to honor Japan's request for extradition,” Watson said in the video released by the foundation.

Whale meat has always been an element of Japanese food culture, and the Japanese government says it supports the sustainable use of whales.

Watson, who left Sea Shepherd in 2022, was also a leading member of Greenpeace, but left in 1977 amid disagreements over his aggressive tactics and set up the more action-oriented organization. The group has waged aggressive campaigns to protect whales, dolphins and other marine animals.