logo
Interpol lifts red notice for anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson

Interpol lifts red notice for anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson

PARIS: 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.
"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.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

CK Hutchison wants Chinese firm to join bidding for its US$22.8 billion ports business
CK Hutchison wants Chinese firm to join bidding for its US$22.8 billion ports business

New Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • New Straits Times

CK Hutchison wants Chinese firm to join bidding for its US$22.8 billion ports business

HONG KONG: CK Hutchison said on Monday it wants a major Chinese strategic investor to join the BlackRock-led consortium bidding for its US$22.8 billion ports business, after media reported that state-owned China COSCO Shipping Corp aims to join the group. The Hong Kong conglomerate in a statement said changes to the composition of the consortium and structure of the transaction will be necessary to secure regulatory approval, and that it will allow as much time as needed to achieve that. A 145-day exclusivity period for talks between the parties expired on Sunday. CK Hutchison's Hong Kong-listed shares were due to open higher just shy of one per cent on Monday. A deal would cover 43 ports in 23 countries including two ports near the Panama Canal which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. US President Donald Trump initially hailed the sale as "reclaiming" the Panama Canal after his administration called for the removal of what it said was Chinese ownership of some ports. US investment firm BlackRock declined to comment. COSCO, Italian consortium member MSC and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China views the potential sale as a threat to its interests, seeing the consortium as a proxy for growing American influence in a region it considers economically and geopolitically significant. State-backed media, in criticism of the sale, said China has significant national interests in the matter and that selling the ports would be a betrayal of the country. China's top market regulator said it was paying close attention to developments and stressed the deal would be subject to a Chinese antitrust review. CK Hutchison in its statement said any new investor must be a "significant" member of the consortium. "This is an interesting development. A PRC (China) investor with majority control of the consortium sounds like a non-starter in my view. An investor with a less than 50 per cent stake you would think should keep everyone happy," said strategist David Blennerhassett of Ballingal Investment Advisors who publishes on SmartKarma.

US-China tariff talks resume in Stockholm to extend trade truce
US-China tariff talks resume in Stockholm to extend trade truce

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

US-China tariff talks resume in Stockholm to extend trade truce

STOCKHOLM: US and Chinese economic officials will hold fresh talks in Stockholm on Monday to negotiate an extension of their tariff truce, aiming to prevent a sharp escalation in trade barriers and pave the way for a potential meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping later this year. The discussions follow a temporary pause in trade hostilities after May and June agreements eased tensions, but an August 12 deadline looms for a more permanent deal. Without progress, US tariffs on Chinese goods could revert to triple-digit levels, disrupting global supply chains. 'We're very close to a deal with China. We really sort of made a deal with China, but we'll see how that goes,' Trump told reporters on Sunday, hinting at cautious optimism. The Stockholm talks come shortly after the US and EU struck a major trade deal, reducing tariffs on European goods and securing large-scale US energy purchases. However, analysts expect no immediate breakthrough in US-China negotiations, predicting instead a 90-day extension of the current truce. Previous discussions in Geneva and London focused on lowering retaliatory tariffs and restoring trade in critical goods like rare earth minerals and AI chips. Yet, deeper economic disputes—such as US concerns over China's export-driven model and Beijing's objections to US tech export controls—remain unresolved. 'Geneva and London were really just about trying to get the relationship back on track so that they could, at some point, actually negotiate about the issues which animate the disagreement between the countries in the first place,' said Scott Kennedy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A potential Trump-Xi meeting in late October could provide momentum for further concessions. China may push for reduced US tariffs and eased tech restrictions, while the US seeks increased Chinese purchases of American goods to narrow the trade deficit, which hit $295.5 billion in 2024. - Reuters

US commerce secretary says Trump really likes TikTok, but app has to move to US ownership
US commerce secretary says Trump really likes TikTok, but app has to move to US ownership

The Star

time4 hours ago

  • The Star

US commerce secretary says Trump really likes TikTok, but app has to move to US ownership

FILE PHOTO: A man films a TikTok video outside the U.S. headquarters of the social media company TikTok in Culver City, California, U.S. January 18,2025. REUTERS/Fred Greaves/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump likes TikTok but the Chinese-owned short video app, used by some 170 million Americans, has to move to U.S. ownership, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said on Sunday. "The President really likes TikTok, and he said it over and over again, because, you know, it was a good way to communicate with young people," Lutnick said in an interview on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream. "But let's face it, you can't have the Chinese have an app on 100 million American phones, that is just not okay. So, it's got to move to American ownership, it's got to move to American technology, American algorithms," he said. "I know the President is positive towards TikTok, if it can move into American hands." (Reporting by Ahmed AbouleneinEditing by Marguerita Choy)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store