Anti-whaling activist and Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson, freed after five months in custody in Greenland, will head to France in the coming days, following Denmark’s refusal to extradite him to Japan.
In an interview with RFI, the 74-year-old co-founder of the Sea Shepherd marine conservation organisation, discusses the political pressure surrounding his case, his plans to challenge Interpol and his determination to carry on with his work.
Environmental activist Paul Watson freed after Denmark refuses his extradition to Japan
RFI: How are you feeling after your release?
Paul Watson: I am very much relieved that I will be able to see my children when I return to France in a couple of days.
RFI: Does Denmark’s refusal to extradite you feel like a victory for you and your cause?
PW: I believe it is a victory, and a recognition of the fact that Japan is killing whales illegally. They're trying their best to set an example of me because they don't want anybody interfering with their illegal operations. In this respect they failed to do that, so we'll continue our opposition to their illegal whaling.
My being in prison is really an extension of the campaign to expose illegal Japanese whaling operations, so I think it's been very successful. We've probably brought more attention to what Japan is doing by my being in prison than if I had gone there with the ship. It's been hugely successful towards that goal of exposing Japan's illegal operations.
RFI: Do you know how your case was ultimately resolved?
PW: Denmark has an obligation and a commitment to human rights, and to do what's right. The rules regarding extradition are clear. This is a very minor charge. It's over 14 years old. It's politically motivated. Those factors alone would prohibit extradition.
Japan was putting pressure on Denmark by threatening to cancel multimillion-dollar offshore wind turbine projects unless they delivered me to them. That, of course, is also indicative of how political this entire case is.
I think that we succeeded in exposing the fact that Japan is putting that economic pressure on. I don't think Denmark really had a choice because Denmark is a country that supports human rights, always has. We knew that from the beginning.
Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson requests French nationality
RFI: How did you cope with five months in detention?
PW: The prison was not very bad. The prisoners were friendly, and the guards were friendly. I spent most of my time either reading or answering letters. I received about 4,000 of them and about 70 percent were from France.
I couldn’t answer everybody but I tried to answer as many as possible – especially letters from children.
RFI: Do you plan to take legal action?
PW: We intend to go to Lyon to confront Interpol about the political abuse of their authority. My case has been under investigation by a European committee looking into the abuses of Interpol since 2017.
Interpol has to make a decision here as to whether their agency can be used by countries to persecute people who oppose their political positions.
RFI: The UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders has warned there has been increasing repression of activists. Are you concerned about this?
Over the years there's been more and more persecution of environmental activists. Things are far different than in the 1990s, 1980s and 1970s. The laws are much more repressive in order to protect the corporate profits of companies, and also to protect government abuse of power. So it's becoming more difficult to be an activist now than it was 20 or 30 years ago.
Minister opposes transfer of whales from French aquarium to Japan
RFI: Will this change your approach or merely reinforce your determination?
PW: Our methods have proven to be very successful over the last 50 years, so I don't see us changing that. Our approach is what I call “aggressive non-violence” – we non-violently intervene against illegal activities. I don't know of any other way to go about doing this.
The only alternative is for governments to uphold their responsibility under international law, but the problem right now is there’s a lack of political and economic motivation to enforce the law, forcing non-government organisations and individuals to do the job that governments should be doing.
RFI: What’s next for you?
PW: I will continue to work with Sea Shepherd France in order to oppose whaling and other illegal activities: the poaching of turtles, illegal fishing. We'll carry on doing what we have been doing for the past 50 years.
RFI: Iceland recently extended whaling permits to 2029, and Japan has expanded fin whale hunts. Are you still optimistic?
Over the last 50 years, we’ve shut down whaling operations in Australia, South Africa, Spain, Peru and Chile. I’m confident that we will eventually shut down Icelandic, Norwegian and Japanese whaling.
But we also have to keep in mind that all of these whaling activities are highly illegal. They are in violation of international law, and we're committed to upholding international conservation law.
RFI: A few days ago, you were made an honorary citizen of the city of Paris. Are you returning to Paris now?
I live in France, I’ll be returning to Paris, my family’s in France... and it was because of France that I think that we won this case. The support of Sea Shepherd France, of President Macron, of the prime minister, of the president of French Polynesia, and thousands and thousands of French citizens across the country contributed to the decision and I’m very, very grateful for that.
This interview by RFI's Pauline Gleize has been lightly edited for clarity.
