Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson to remain detained in Greenland

Demonstration in support of U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson in Copenhagen

An image of U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling activist and founder of the Sea Shepherd activist group Paul Watson is displayed on an installation during a demonstration in his support at Christiansborg Slotsplads in Copenhagen, Denmark August 12, 2024. Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS/File Photo

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will remain in detention in Greenland after he was arrested in the Danish autonomous territory last month, while Denmark decides whether to extradite him to Japan, a local court ruled on Thursday.

U.S.-Canadian Watson, 73, founder of the Sea Shepherd conservationist group and of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, was apprehended by police when his ship docked at the port of Nuuk on July 21.

Watson will remain in detention until Sept. 5, police in Greenland said in a statement, adding that he had appealed the Nuuk court's decision.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

RSF index reveals that press freedom gaps widened globally in 2025

Japan issued an international warrant for his arrest more than a decade ago, seeking him on charges of breaking into a Japanese vessel in the Antarctic Ocean in 2010, obstructing its business and causing injury as well as property damage.

Supporters of Watson have launched a campaign for his release, enlisting the support of politicians and celebrities, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Irish actor Pierce Brosnan and others.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters