Interpol lifts red notice for anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson
Global police organisation Interpol has lifted a red wanted notice requesting the arrest of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, with the campaigner saying Tuesday he was finally free of the Japanese whalers' "vendetta."
"Interpol has officially and permanently dismissed the Red Notice against me," Watson said in a statement, adding the charges against him were "politically motivated."
Interpol had issued the notice against Watson, known for radical tactics including confrontations with whaling ships at sea, at the request of Japan, but has now decided the measure was "disproportionate", his lawyer William Julie said in a separate statement.
"The Japanese whalers have been after me for 14 years ever since I was first detained in Frankfurt, Germany in May 2012," Watson said in the statement published by his ocean conservation charity, The Captain Paul Watson Foundation.
"It has been an incredible pursuit by a very powerful nation using unlimited resources but finally I am free of their vendetta and their relentless persecution," said Watson, who is also the founder of the Sea Shepherd direct action group.
A spokesperson for Interpol confirmed to AFP that the Commission for the Control of Interpol's Files (CCF) had deleted the red notice, which is a request to police worldwide to arrest a suspect.
Watson, a 74-year-old Canadian-American, was arrested and detained in Greenland in July, 2024 on a 2012 Japanese warrant, which accused him of causing damage to a whaling ship and injuring a whaler.
He was released in December after Denmark refused the Japanese extradition request over the 2010 clash with whalers.
On December 20, he returned to France, where his children attend school, following a high-profile campaign in his support.
Japanese arrest warrant -
"The decision to delete Mr Watson's red notice was made by the CCF -- an independent body tasked to ensure that the processing of personal data by Interpol is in compliance with its constitution and rules," the Interpol spokesperson said.
"This is not a judgement on the merits of the case, or the events that occurred in 2010, but a decision based on Interpol's rules on the processing of data," the spokesperson added.
"The CCF decision was made in light of new facts, including the refusal by the Kingdom of Denmark to extradite Mr Watson. This is in line with normal procedures."
In a statement, Julie said the CCF considered that the red notice "did not meet Interpol's standards, citing the disproportionate nature of the charges, Mr Watson's supposed only indirect involvement (which is contested), the considerable passage of time since the alleged facts, Denmark's refusal to extradite him, and the fact that several other countries declined to act on Japan's arrest or extradition requests."
He also said that the Commission pointed to the existence of "political elements" around the case, which gave it an "importance beyond its intrinsic criminal characteristics or pure law-enforcement interest."
Sea Shepherd France praised the decision as "a moral and symbolic victory" but warned that it did not yet restore Watson's freedom of movement.
"The Japanese arrest warrant remains active, and any country can still choose to execute it," the group said on X.
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
19 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Half of Japanese detainees in China convicted of espionage
Police guard the Beijing courthouse where the verdict in an Astellas employee's espionage case was delivered on July 16. © Kyodo Nikkei staff writers TOKYO -- Nine out of 17 Japanese nationals detained by Chinese authorities since an anti-espionage law went into effect in 2014 were found to have provided information to Japan's intelligence agency in exchange for compensation, Nikkei has learned. China's judicial authorities determined the nine had committed espionage and were given prison sentences, according to multiple sources in the Japanese government briefed by Chinese officials.
The Mainichi
a day ago
- The Mainichi
Man accused of fatally stabbing 2 workers at 'girls' bar' in Japan's Hamamatsu
HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka -- A 41-year-old man accused of murdering the manager of a so-called "girls' bar" in this central Japan city was slapped with a fresh arrest warrant July 26 for allegedly also stabbing a female employee at the establishment, causing her to bleed to death. Shizuoka Prefectural Police's Hamamatsu Chuo Police Station served the new arrest warrant to Ichiro Yamashita, an unemployed resident of the prefectural city of Fukuroi, on charges including murder and a violation of the swords and firearms control law. The prefectural police have not revealed whether he has admitted to the allegations against him. The fresh warrant alleges that at around 1 a.m. on July 6, Yamashita used a knife with a curved blade to stab employee Rin Ito, 26, in the back and other areas, resulting in her death. He has already been sent to prosecutors on suspicion of murdering the bar's manager, Tomoka Takeuchi, 27. According to the prefectural police, Yamashita was a regular customer who frequented the girls' bar, where women serve drinks over the counter, to see Ito. It is believed that Yamashita felt disliked by Ito and Takeuchi after learning about their interactions, which fueled his resentment. The bodies of the two women had over a dozen stab wounds, and the police believe there is a possibility the suspect attacked them with strong intent to kill. An investigative source revealed that Yamashita and Ito were together in locations including Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, over the few days prior to the incident and that there were signs of trouble. On the day of the incident, Yamashita is thought to have driven Ito to the bar in a rental car before stabbing the two women. The rental car company explained that Yamashita had rented the car for one week from June 28 and extended the rental for another week on July 4. (Japanese original by Shiho Fujibuchi, Shizuoka Bureau, and Tetsushi Teruyama, Hamamatsu Local Bureau)
Asahi Shimbun
a day ago
- Asahi Shimbun
7 held in scam that ‘employed' 1,400 foreigners without visas
Tokyo police have arrested seven people in connection with an elaborate scam that allowed 1,400 foreigners without work visas to pose as food delivery drivers. The Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrests July 25 of Kotaro Yamazaki, 51, a company executive and six others, including a 28-year-old Vietnamese man. The suspects are believed to have netted about 54 million yen ($366,000) from the scam that targeted the Demae-can food delivery service company from as far back as 2022. The operation centered on the illegal transfer of delivery accounts. Foreigners from six nations, including Uzbekistan and Vietnam, were hoodwinked by Yamazaki and the others, according to the police. The seven suspects conspired between Sept. 23 and Oct. 1 last year to have a 30-year-old Japanese man apply for and receive a Demae-can account knowing full well it would be used by a Vietnamese. Yamazaki and his conspirators also used social media to publicize moonlighting opportunities and asked Japanese applicants to 'lend' their Demae-can accounts. The Japanese individual received 20,000 yen as a 'matching fee' if a foreigner was found to use the account and make deliveries. Yamazaki's group also cooperated with a broker who gathered foreigners. The broker received 5,000 yen every month from the delivery fees paid by Demae-can to the Japanese owner of the account. The Japanese owner also received 20,000 yen a month for lending the account. Any money left over in the account for that month was paid to the foreigner who actually made the deliveries. An official with Demae-can told The Asahi Shimbun the company was considering legal action against the group.
