Anti-whaling activist Watson remains in custody in Greenland as Denmark considers Japan’s bid

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – A court in Greenland decided Wednesday to extend the detention of anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson, until Dec. 4, while Denmark considers an extradition request from Japan.

Japan does not have an extradition treaty with the Scandinavian countries. Greenland is an independent territory of Denmark and handles police and justice matters.

Watson, a 73-year-old Canadian-American, has been the head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Its outspoken tactics, including high-seas confrontations with whaling ships, have garnered the support of A-list celebrities and were featured on the reality television series “Whale Wars.”

Watson was arrested on July 21 when his ship arrived in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. A court in Greenland has repeatedly upheld his arrest while Danish authorities are considering whether he could be extradited to Japan, where he faces up to 15 years in prison, according to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.

“It is unfair for Watson to be imprisoned in a case that should have been tried long ago,” said Watson’s lawyer, Finn Meinel, according to the Greenland newspaper Sermitsiaq.

A Japanese coast guard sought arrest for an encounter with a Japanese whaling research vessel in 2010. Watson was accused of interfering with the work of the crew by ordering the captain of his ship to throw explosives at the research vessel.

Sermitsiaq quoted Watson as telling the court that “no one was injured at the time. It’s absolutely ridiculous,” and that “Japan is a country of criminals, and Denmark supports the country.”

Prosecutor Mariam Khalil previously said that there was a plane crash and that the detention period should be extended.

Sea Shepherd France said Watson requested asylum from the French president.