Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will remain in custody in Nuuk prison until September 5, the Greenland High Court confirmed on Tuesday, rejecting an appeal filed by his defense on August 15.
“The High Court of Greenland today upheld the decision of the Greenland Court to detain the founder of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, Paul Watson,” police said in a statement.
The Greenland court decided on August 15 to keep the 73-year-old American-Canadian, arrested nearly a month ago in Nuuk, the capital of the autonomous Danish territory, in detention until September 5.
The lawyer for the founder of “Sea Shepherd France” then appealed to the High Court of Greenland, considering his continued detention disproportionate.
Japan requested the extradition of Paul Watson on July 31 from the Danish Ministry of Justice in a case related to his fight to defend whales.
In an email sent to AFP on Thursday, August 15, Minister Peter Hummelgaard assured that the “examination” of this was “underway”.
Watson’s arrest was based on an Interpol red notice issued in 2012, when Japan accused him of being jointly responsible for damage and injuries on board a Japanese whaling vessel two years earlier as part of a campaign led by Sea Shepherd.
Leaving the Nuuk courthouse on Thursday, just before getting into a police van, Paul Watson told AFP that his continued detention increased pressure on Japan to end “its illegal whaling activities”.
In a message sent to AFP on Tuesday, the association announced that Paul Watson’s lawyers would make a request to the Danish Appeals Commission, a necessary step to obtain permission to appeal the decision to the Danish Supreme Court.
“The conditions of detention are not met,” assures Sea Shepherd.