ACTION ALERT: Free Paul Watson
Paul Watson Foundation

Paul Watson, a veteran environmental activist and prominent anti-whaling campaigner, was arrested in Greenland recently when he stopped to re-fuel his ship on an expedition to disrupt at-sea Japan whaling operations.

Captain Watson, on board his 72-meterflagship, the M/Y John Paul Dejoria, stopped in Greenland with 25 volunteer crew to refuel, en route to the North West Passage as part of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation’s Operation Kangei Maru, a mission to intercept Japan’s newly-built whaling-ship, the Kangei Maru in the North Pacific.

His arrest was based on a decades-old international warrant issued by Japan that Watson may have believed had expired, and it is feared he may now be extradited to Japan.

“We were here, and arrested Paul due to an international arrest order from Japan”, stated the leader of the Danish federal police boarding party at the site of the arrest. The crew were given no further information.

The arrest is believed to be related to a former Red Notice issued for Captain Watson’s previous anti-whaling interventions in the Antarctic region. Japan’s Antarctic research whaling program (JARPA) was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2014.

“We’re completely shocked, as the Red Notice had disappeared a few months ago. We were surprised because it could mean that it had been erased or made confidential. We understand now that Japan made it confidential to lure Paul into a false sense of security. We implore the Danish government to release Captain Watson and not entertain this politically-motivated request”, stated Locky MacLean, Ship Operation’s Director for CPWF.

Operating in breach of the ICJ ruling for several years, Japan eventually ceased Antarctic high-seas whaling in 2016, and now only hunts whales within its territorial waters. CPWF believes Japan plans to resume high-seas whaling in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific as early as 2025, and the reactivation of the Red Notice against Captain Watson is politically motivated and coincides with the launch of the new whale-processing vessel.

In Nuuk, over a dozen Danish police and SWAT team members boarded the M/Y John Paul DeJoria as soon as it made port. After a handcuffed Captain Watson was led off of the ship, he was taken to the local police station. The crew and Foundation have no means of contacting him and have had no further news. At the time of writing, Watson remains in custody and it is unknown whether Denmark will allow Watson to be extradited to Japan.

Protests are occurring around the world and one way you can help is by signing the petition and staying informed of the movement to #FREEPAULWATSON.

Watson the founder of the Sea Shepherd Society and is currently the head of the Paul Watson Foundation.  Watson’s direct-action tactics, with confrontations with whaling vessels on high-seas, have drawn support worldwide (including from a long list of celebrities), and Watson was featured on Animal Planet ‘s TV series, “Whale Wars.”

Learn more and sign the petition calling for his release at https://www.paulwatsonfoundation.org/freepaulwatson/

Paul Watson arrested in Greenland.

Petition to Free Paul Watson
On July 21 2024, Captain Paul Watson was arrested by Danish police upon arrival in Nuuk, Greenland, onboard the M/Y John Paul DeJoria. Danish authorities claim that the arrest was made due to an international arrest warrant issued by Japan, related to his anti-whaling campaigns in the Antarctic more than a decade ago.

Paul faces the possibility of extradition to Japan, where he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

We need your help to #FREEPAULWATSON.

Please sign this petition addressing the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, to release Watson from custody. As Paul once said, “Every social revolution in the history of humanity has been carried out by the passion, the imagination and the courage of individuals”.

Now, we need individuals from all over the world to come together and campaign for the release of a man who has dedicated his life to protecting our planet. We need you. Please sign and spread the message amongst your communities. Together, we can do this.

NOTE: Paul Watson is no longer affiliated with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society or Sea Shepherd Global. Follow and donate to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation to continue supporting Paul’s work for the oceans.