Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson released after 5 months in Greenland prison

Lesson to Japanese Authorities: Ambiguous Penal Codes Lose

Explaining the decision, Denmark’s minister for justice said Japan refused to provide sufficient assurances that Watson’s five months in jail awaiting extradition would be deducted from any future sentence.

And why couldn’t Japanese authorities provide assurances? Because its jurisprudence system failed them. In Japan, the amount of credit given for time served is entirely at the discretion of the judge. 

That ambiguity is not internationally acceptable. Sorry.

Watson looks great in the photo above. His hair blowing in wind. Like a movie star.

Good. Yeah, I get Watson's "unorthodox" methods might rub people the wrong way, but his release is a victory for those who actually care about protecting the ecology of our oceans, unlike the corrupt whaling industy, and Japan's draconian hostage justice system, which tried to silence him for daring to stand up to their barbaric practices. The fact that they wanted him extradited for defending life shows exactly where their priorities lie - tiny profit over preservation, mass destruction over conservation - but true environmental warriors like the crazy ol' captain Watson will never be stopped.

I think it all backfired on Japan

Royally! And all the pompous fools who were so full of themselves in their attacks of Watson.

Looks like he’s going for the god on a windy day look.

Called it months ago!

This is another victory for public decency.

And an indictment of Japan's medieval hostage "justice system", and Tokyo's political vendetta against this poor man, which had more to do with a wanting to impose torture upon him, reminiscent of the past.

Shameful that they tried a 'justice'-war-crime on a 75 year-old man and now he will be free to spend Christmas with his two sons instead of the bamboo treatment.

And all the pompous fools who were so full of themselves in their attacks of Watson.

Yea, there was one on here the other day boasting, “Watson is going to be living in Japan for a very, very long time! I just hope he’s is not starting fights there.”

Hopefully this ruling will end the pathetic slander.

Great decision. Common sense prevails at last

I am surprised it took 5 months to get to this just decision. My guess is the Japanese side delayed as much as possible to extend the detention knowing their appeal had no merit.

Funny how activists never complain about Norway's Faroe Island whale killing "tradition". When non-western countries do it, then it's "inhumane".

Looks like they released Santa just in time for Christmas!

I doubt it. This is a Japanese website though, so you'd probably have to read it somewhere else.

Funny how activists never complain about Norway's Faroe Island whale killing "tradition". When non-western countries do it, then it's "inhumane".

It's good to see the rule of law triumph.

And here's a shout out to Pierce Brosnan, Brigitte Bardot and other people who stood up for him. Others too like Pamela, Emilio and more. Let's not forget, of course, his prominent French lawyer François Zimeray and Macron, who behind the scenes, have pulled some real strings within the EU political sphere to rectify this monster of a miscarriage of justice (the alleged offense took place almost 15 years ago).

Funny how activists never complain about Norway's Faroe Island whale killing "tradition". When non-western countries do it, then it's "inhumane".

People do condemn the Faroe Islands' whale slaughter - loudly and frequently -but nice try deflecting from Japan's industrial-scale whaling under the sham of “research.” The difference? Faroe Islanders don't hide behind fake science to justify their actions, nor do they have a billion-dollar industry shoving whale meat in elementary schoolers mouths while playing the victim card. If you're going to defend whaling, how about not go for the tired, baseless whataboutisms.

"This gives me an opportunity to return home to my two children before Christmas.”

In 2018, Ghosn was spending his Christmas eve being interrogated and still continue days after, his lawyer release his interrogation schedule.

Well done Paul, you escape Japan hostage justice system.

“In fact, $30 million from the tsunami relief fund was channeled into the whaling industry after 2011. So, you know, this does not benefit the Japanese people at all in any way, shape or form. In fact, what it is is an embarrassment to the Japanese people.”

Many people in Japan just quite about this, thanks Paul Watson.

kibousha

Funny how activists never complain about Norway's Faroe Island whale killing "tradition". When non-western countries do it, then it's "inhumane".

Most Danes don’t want anything to do with whale hunting or consumption.

It occurs on the remote Faroe Islands, a Danish autonomous territory in the North Atlantic, some 300km north of the United Kingdom. And most Faroese are opposed to the “grindadrap” tradition. They tolerate it.

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson released after 5 months in Greenland prison

5 months, still considered as fortunate compared to 15 years in Japanese prison, where family visitation is really limited and no phone call to outside.

Awesome photo!

One battle at a time. The good guys won this time!

Great news! Congratulations Mr. Watson!

Glad for him, his family and the judge's decision was totally right. Just wondering if he will continue the fight.

So justice has been averted and a terrorist has been released. A sad day indeed.

“I think it all backfired on Japan, because this has put enormous focus on Japan’s continued illegal whaling operations," Watson said. "So my time here for five months has actually served a purpose. It’s been an opportunity to continue to expose Japan’s illegal whaling activities.”

This has been a spectacular own goal by Japan on multiple fronts.

Firstly, it has shone a huge spotlight on a very dubious element of its fisheries industry, especially in Europe and America.

Secondly, it has shone a spotlight on their feudal hostage justice system (after the CG fiasco) and reminded people abroad - governments, courts, lawyers and judges - about the fundamental sadistic nature of it, including the system not only doing the you-bad-man torture chamber bucket thing but also savagely executing people.

The second point is fundamentally why Watson was not extradited - Japan's 'system' is just not compatible with EU law and human rights standards, not to mention wider civilized standards of basic decency. Anyone with an on-switch should be able to ascertain that.

Denmark was never going to be an accomplice in the plot to ruthlessly torture an old man over Christmas and New Years, not to mention and eventual state ordered killing such an act of collaboration would inevitably produce.

The Danish Justice Ministry said in a statement that the conditions for extradition were met, but it had not received adequate guarantees from Japanese authorities that the time Watson had already served in custody would be counted against any sentence he would receive in Japan.

fair enough! They’d say one thing that’s unambiguous then say “we never said that “.

Japan's says whale meat is part of its food culture and that it supports sustainable use of whales. 

Sometimes we hunt things to the brink, and we have to change our culture, but when we did hundreds of years ago it was also for fuel. Nobody eats it anymore and it also has health issues as mercury is also found in the meat. Especially bad for women who are pregnant.

Americans used to eat buffalo as they killed millions. So they had to change.

It may have been, but it’s a dying industry. Time to let it pass. It seems more like a political culture rather than food culture.

Sentence him to time served and save face.

but nice try deflecting from Japan's industrial-scale whaling under the sham of “research.”

Japan doesn't claim it's research anymore. It's straight up commercial whaling.

Where are the consumers for this commercial endeavour ( that is heavily subsidized)?

It's pretty shameful that some tsunami money was given to the whaling industry.

The debate on his guilt aside, this decision might have saved his life. Even if he's in good condition for his age, I wouldn't want to fall into the bottomless pit that is the Japanese legal system at any age, let alone 74.

"Why is the old man dead?

"He...er...fell over and hit his head while we were politely asking him questions"

"In a padded room full of tatami mats?"

"Yes"

"Very well. Include that in your report"

Not only that. When the J-gov gave up the facade of "research" they said they would limit whaling to Japanese waters. Only a few years later and Japan is sending its whalers to international waters in the North Pacific. Bald faced lies.

The hunting of fin whales requires a fleet of vessels led by the whaling mothership, which makes Kyodo Senpaku the only company capable of catching them.

Agency officials said they have confirmed through a survey in the North Pacific Ocean that fin whales are sufficiently abundant to allow hunting.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15276125

Invalid CSRF

What a buffoon:

“I think it all backfired on Japan, because this has put enormous focus on Japan’s continued illegal whaling operations,

It’s perfectly legal.

Even before it was legal but the ICJ proved itself to be a joke and led to Japan to just quit the Whaling commission, which is obviously a ridiculous situation - a whaling nation having no choice but to drop out of what was supposed to be a whaling organization.

I’m very pleased that a modern and advanced democracy like Denmark came out with this decision.

Three cheers for the world that cares about wildlife - Sir David Attenborough must be especially pleased about this result

While he has dodged the torturer's chamber for now, and certain death, unfortunately this is not entirely over.

Interpol confirmed that the red notice issued at the request of Japan is still valid, meaning that Watson could be arrested again. Important to observe a red notice is not an international arrest warrant.

Clearly Watson, in Tokyo's eyes, has committed one of the gravest crimes possible: embarrassing them on the world stage.

This is going to make them doubly vindictive - and dangerous - as his legal team make sure he stays out of their grasp or parties who may act for inducements.

The case highlights the real potential for Interpol’s Red Notice to be misused, and flagrantly abused in this instance, in politically charged cases, in which a government has an axe to grind.

A slap in the face for these ruthless ocean predators sounds good to me. I wish Mr Watson a whale of a Christmas with his family, a more humane outcome than languishing alone in a cold Japanese prison cell waiting to be stitched up in a kangaroo court.

It’s perfectly legal.

Even before it was legal but the ICJ proved itself to be a joke and led to Japan to just quit the Whaling commission, which is obviously a ridiculous situation - a whaling nation having no choice but to drop out of what was supposed to be a whaling organization.

fxgay: “Perfectly legal”? Sure, if you think exploiting loopholes and thumbing your nose at international agreements is the moral high ground. The ICJ exposed Japan's farcical claims of "scientific research" for what they were - a cover for commercial whaling. And Japan quitting the Whaling Commission wasn't some noble act of defiance; it was an absolute hissy fit because they couldn't bully their way into legitimizing an outdated, cruel, and unnecessary practice.

Makes my day! Paul Watson shouldn't be subjected to the brutal "Carlos Ghosn treatment" in Japan.

Jay above....indeed you are right.

It was the Australian Labor Govt., led by K Rudd PM who took the legal action to expose the lie of scientific whaling and Attorney General Dreyfuss who led the legal team.

And "time served " is at the discretion of a Judge, not an absolute right as some other poster said.

But crickey, I could use some time in Denmark custody if I came out looking that good.

Denmark may be onto something....prison spas.

Funny how activists never complain about Norway's Faroe Island whale killing "tradition". When non-western countries do it, then it's "inhumane".

As usual you are not informed, or chose to ignore fact

https://local.fo/anti-whaling-protest-vessel-leaves-faroese-waters/

https://www.stopthegrind.org/

https://hakaimagazine.com/features/blood-in-the-water-food-on-the-table-protestors-on-the-shore/

Congratulations Paul, and Merry Christmas.

Denmark may be onto something....prison spas.

The Scandinavian countries do not treat prisoners inhumanely.

It’s good to see Japan being sent a message about what the rest of the world thinks about its justice system.

Asiaman7 - well put

The Danish Justice Ministry said in a statement that the conditions for extradition were met, but it had not received adequate guarantees from Japanese authorities that the time Watson had already served in custody would be counted against any sentence he would receive in Japan.

Seems even if he was sentenced in Japan it wouldn't have been that long.

I am happy to see a good man go free. His time spent in incarceration was a travesty of justice and abuse of the Interpol system. Merry Christmas to him and his family.

What a guy! He will do anything to escape's justice. If it was really about the whale he will take this "chance" to promote his idea in front of the world but no....

Peter14

I am happy to see a good man go free.

A good man does not put human lives in danger.

@JayToday 09:24 am JST

The justices in this affair are mixed. The IWC is supposed to allow controlled whaling, but was politicized by antiwhalers. A 10 year moratorium (and the word moratorium means it should have been lifted at the end of ten years) was continuously extended regardless of the actual health of the whale population.

The "science whaling" thing is a bit of a quiet understanding that allowed life to continue and kept the Harmony. Japan would quietly be allowed to catch a limited number of whales under the scientific whaling aegis to feed the few people who still wanted whales, while Japan won't enter into an open break with an organization that's doing the reverse of what it is meant to do.

The ICJ's judgment is probably legally valid, but ignores the broader justices in the case as well as the politics. The confrontation that could be managed was put in the open and Japan left the IWC.

BTW, I don't care how few people really want whale. If even one person on the planet wants whale and can pay the cost (or just goes to get it himself), he should get to eat whale. The only justification otherwise is an actual, concrete necessity to avoid the extinction of the whale population.

@Asiaman7Today  06:46 am JST

Let be supplement that idea by quoting the section in Danish Penal Code:

§ 86 (1) Where the convicted person has been arrested, remanded in custody or hospitalized for mental examination, the length of the imposed imprisonment shall be reduced by a number of days proportionate to the length of time he was in custody or in hospital. Custody for less than 24 hours does not entail reduction. Where the convicted person has been isolated while in custody according to a decision by the court, a number of days are furthermore deducted corresponding to one day for every commenced period of 72 hours, during which the convicted person has been isolated. The sentence shall contain information concerning the duration of the custody, hospitalisation and isolation, which entail reduction. In exceptional cases, the court may decide that the whole penalty must be regarded as having been served, even though the sentence imposed is longer than the time that the convicted person was in custody or in hospital. Where an appeal fails or is withdrawn, such a decision shall be made by the resolution of the superior court. Where a fine is imposed, it shall be decided in the judgment that the whole fine, or a part thereof, shall be considered to have been paid.

Why should taxpayers fund this anachronistic waste of money ?

We are all Innocent until proven guilty.

Mr. Watson was NOT on the ship that collided with the Japanese one according to him and his attorney, they also stated that Mr. Watson was not the registered owner of that ship nor that ship was part of his team, it belonged to an activist that decided to face off with the Japanese ship on his own and lost, then he was arrested and brought to Tokyo then let go.