Interpol takes whaling activist, Sea Shepherd founder off wanted list

Canadian-American anti-whaling activistic Paul Watson greeted Interpol’s determination with the words: ‘Finally I americium free.’

Global constabulary organisation Interpol said it has removed its most-wanted designation for the anti-whaling activistic and laminitis of the Sea Shepherd conservation group, Paul Watson, who is wanted successful Japan implicit an encounter with a whaling ship successful 2010.

Interpol had issued a “red notice”, astatine Japan’s request, for the apprehension of the Canadian-American Watson, 74, who is known for his daring tactics, including disrupting and confronting whaling ships connected the precocious seas.

Interpol has present decided that the announcement was “disproportionate”, Watson’s Paris-based lawyer William Julie said connected Tuesday.

An Interpol reddish announcement is simply a petition to instrumentality enforcement worldwide to find and provisionally apprehension a idiosyncratic pending ineligible action, based connected a warrant from the judicial authorities successful the requesting country, successful this case, Japan.

In a station connected societal media by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, the activistic was quoted saying: “Finally I americium free.”

“The Japanese whalers person been aft maine for 14 years ever since I was archetypal detained successful Frankfurt, Germany successful May 2012,” Watson said.

“It has been an unthinkable pursuit by a precise almighty federation utilizing unlimited resources but yet I americium free.”

🚨INTERPOL RED NOTICE CANCELLED!!

The Japanese whalers person been aft maine for 14 years ever since I was archetypal detained successful Frankfurt, Germany successful May 2012.

It has been an unthinkable pursuit by a precise almighty federation utilizing unlimited resources but yet I americium escaped pic.twitter.com/XIBuMwksoe

— Captain Paul Watson Foundation 🐋🏴‍☠️ (@CaptPaulWatson) July 22, 2025

A spokesperson for Interpol confirmed to the AFP quality bureau that the organisation’s Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files (CCF) had deleted the apprehension announcement for Watson.

“The CCF determination was made successful airy of caller facts, including the refusal by the Kingdom of Denmark to extradite Mr Watson. This is successful enactment with mean procedures,” the spokesperson said.

Watson was arrested and detained successful Greenland successful July 2024, connected a much than decade-old Japanese apprehension warrant, which accused him of causing harm to a whaling vessel and injuring a whaler. He was released successful December aft Denmark refused the Japanese extradition petition implicit the 2010 incident.

Watson near Denmark connected December 20, and returned to France, wherever his children be school.

In a statement, Watson’s lawyer said that the CCF considered that Interpol’s reddish announcement “did not conscionable Interpol’s standards, citing the disproportionate quality of the charges… the sizeable transition of clip since the alleged facts, Denmark’s refusal to extradite him, and the information that respective different countries declined to enactment connected Japan’s apprehension oregon extradition requests”.

Lamya Essemlali, the president of Sea Shepherd France, hailed the “good quality that this announcement was yet cancelled”, but noted that Watson could inactive beryllium arrested and sent to Japan for prosecution.

“It does not springiness Paul Watson his state of question due to the fact that the Japanese apprehension warrant is capable for a state to bid his arrest,” she said.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies