By THOMAS ADAMSONSea Shepherd founder Paul Watson, known for his decades-long fight against Japanese whaling and arrested in Greenland in July, has asked France's president for political asylum, Sea Shepherd France said Wednesday. Watson faces extradition to Japan, where he could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. He was detained after a Japanese request to Interpol over his confrontational tactics aimed at disrupting Japanese whaling operations in the Antarctic. Jean Tamalet, a lawyer associated with Sea Shepherd France, emphasized that the call for political asylum is largely symbolic and aimed at securing his release. The arrest occurred when Watson's ship docked in Nuuk, Greenland, for refueling on its way to intercept a Japanese whaling ship.

Source: The Guardian October 17, 2024 04:47 UTC