Danish Ministry of Justice finds no grounds to preemptively reject Japan’s extradition request for Paul Watson

The Danish Ministry of Justice has not found reason to preemptively reject Japan’s request for the arrest and extradition of activist Paul Watson, according to a written statement from the ministry. This follows a provision in Greenland’s extradition law, which mandates that the ministry assess whether there are grounds to deny extradition requests made from Greenland.

As of Friday, the ministry has not received a formal request from Japan. The ministry outlined that its role includes making a preliminary evaluation based on the available information to determine if there are grounds to deny an extradition request from Greenland. It stated that, based on the existing information, it sees no basis to preemptively reject such a request.

Paul Watson, aged 73, was arrested on Sunday in Greenland following an international arrest warrant issued by Japan. The decision on whether he will be extradited has not yet been made, but the Ministry of Justice indicates that there is no reason to deny Japan’s request at this stage. The ministry is now awaiting an official extradition request from Japanese authorities, which must be submitted within 30 days of his arrest. Following receipt of this request, the matter will be reassessed.

The arrest warrant was originally issued by Japan in 2010 in connection with an incident in Antarctica where Watson intervened against Japanese whalers. Japanese authorities allege that the activist assaulted the whalers and obstructed their operations.