Paul Watson, founder of ocean protection NGO Sea Shepherd, arrested by Danish authorities

Captain Paul Watson was arrested by Danish authorities in Greenland on Sunday, July 21, the French branch of the ocean and marine life protection organization Sea Shepherd sur X announced. The founder of the NGO was arrested for “having sailed in Faroese waters in 2023 as part of Operation Bloody Fjords [‘fjords sanglants’]“specifies his foundation on the same social network, and “based on the Interpol red notice, implemented in 2012 following the arrest warrant from Japan”adds Sea Shepherd.

The organization criticizes this system, which it considers to be misused for political ends. “The perfidy of the Interpol Red Notice system: after being posted online for years, the notice had recently disappeared from the Interpol website, leading Paul Watson and his lawyers to believe that he was now free to move around”Sea Shepherd further comments on X.

Like Norway and Iceland, Japan still practices commercial whaling, despite criticism from environmentalists and animal rights activists. “Paul Watson [a] led more than a decade of opposition to this whaling”recalls Sea Shepherd.

In making the arrest, “Denmark, which also defends the illegal slaughter of dolphins in the Faroe Islands, is therefore playing into the hands of Japan, which was nevertheless condemned by the International Tribunal in The Hague for illegal whaling in the Antarctic sanctuary”, accuses Sea Shepherd. According to the NGO, Paul Watson, aged 73, risks “extradition to Japan”where he could “end his days”. “We will fight to the end to prevent this”concludes the NGO.