URGENT CALL TO ACTION:
Free Paul Watson
The only Crime here is Japanese Whaling
Imagine caring so deeply for something that you are willing to dedicate your entire life to seeing it through? Now, picture yourself persisting through multiple arrests, your friends being held captive, and living on the high seas away from your family for months at a time?
This is the story of Paul Watson, a man who has dedicated his life to end whaling in the open ocean.
Who is Paul Watson?
Paul Watson co-founded the environmental activist organization Greenpeace, where he employed direct action tactics to physically intervene and prevent environmental degradation. However, he eventually parted ways with Greenpeace, feeling that their approach had become "too passive." This led to the creation of the anti-whaling NGO, Sea Shepherd.
Paul spent 45 years campaigning to end commercial whaling through the organization Sea Shepherd. Through Sea Shepherd, Paul and the organization conducted various campaigns primarily in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, which has been internationally recognized since 1994 as a sanctuary for the local whale population by all international countries other than Japan. Through their direct tactics including exposing Japanese ships claiming to be performing scientific research as primarily hunting whales, Sea Shepherd was able to save an estimated 6,000 whales from Japanese harpoons. During this time, a Sea Shepherd ship was hit and sunk by a Japanese whaling vessel, as Japan increasingly took more aggressive actions to try to deter the Sea Shepherd fleet. All of this was captured on the TV show “Whale Wars” which broadcasted Japan’s appalling actions across the world. They lost millions of dollars, and by 2018 agreed to cease their whaling operations in the Southern Oceans.
Why was Paul Watson arrested?
On Sunday, July 21st, the John Paul de Joria ship was boarded by a Danish SWAT team and Paul Watson was swiftly detained. The ship was docked in Nuuk, Greenland for a routine refuel on their way to intercept the brand new 48MM dollar Japanese whaling mothership, the Kengi Maru. When the team arrived into the port they were overwhelmed by a strong police presence that had been flown over from Copenhagen, Denmark at the request of the Japanese government.
Paul has been charged with illegally boarding a Japanese ship during Sea Shepherd’s campaign in the Southern Ocean in 2010,. These charges have already been placed on fellow Sea Shepherd member, Peter Bethune, who spent 2 years in Japanese prison. And while Paul did admit to boarding the ship illegally, the punishment for such a crime is typically de minimis. Japan, seeking to make an example out of Paul, is hoping to extradite him to Japan with a proposed prison sentence of 12 years.
What happens if Paul goes to Japan?
It is imperative that we do all that we can to ensure that Paul does not get extradited. Japan has put incredible pressure on the Danish government to seize Paul Watson. If Paul is sent to Japan he will likely live out the rest of his days in a high-security prison where he will likely never see his family again as he is 73 years old. Japan has a history of delaying trials. Many prisoners will be held without bail until they confess, which will likely be the case for Paul. Despite still being held in jail, Paul’s treatment in Greenland is fair. He is able to meet with his family, receive letters, and have warm showers. But why Greenland?
Denmark has ruled over Greenland since the age of imperialism, this is how Paul was captured and put into prison in Nuuk. Danish authorities were responsible for sending SWAT teams from Copenhagen to Nuuk which resulted in the seizure of Paul Watson. Now the ball is in their court, they are responsible for imprisoning Paul, but they are also capable of releasing him at any moment.
Current Japanese whaling operations:
If there is any upside to this situation, it is that there was virtually no recognition of the Kengi Maru one month ago. This 9,000 tonne mothership will be able to hunt, kill, and process meat for whales within Japanese waters. In 2019, Japan announced that it was withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission. This year they will begin killing fin whales within their exclusive economic zone. Fin whales are the 2nd largest mammal to have ever lived and are labeled as a “vulnerable species” by the IUCN. There is no reason to kill these animals as demand for whale meat has largely dissipated since 2019.
Japan has miscalculated the backlash that their actions have caused. Paul's arrest illuminated Japan’s new whaling endeavors. Now the world will know about Japan’s politically motivated red notice and new lethal technology that will senselessly take the lives of our planet's most beloved creatures.
What can you do?
It is critical that the international community shows Denmark that the cost of keeping Paul Watson captive outweighs any benefit. The Ministry of Justice in Denmark holds the power to release or extradite Paul.
Email information:
jm@jm.dk
Sign this petition:
https://www.paulwatsonfoundation.org/freepaulwatson/
Donate to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation
Send a letter to Paul, he might just answer!
Anstalten for Domfældte,
Jagtvej 3900, NUUK
GREENLAND
Sources:
Captain Paul Watson Foundation Podcast. (n.d.). Spotify.
International Fund for Animal Welfare. (2024, August 14). Are fin whales finished? Japan resumes commercial hunt. IFAW.
Reporter, G. S. (2024, August 7). Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson could face up to 15 years’ prison in Japan if convicted. The Guardian.
