“He can no longer bear being separated from his children”

For Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, at the environmental activist's bedside since his arrest on July 21, it is a disappointment. But she says she is realistic. “The more time passes, the more we say to ourselves that this is not a matter of justice. Since the first hearing on August 15, we have understood a little how things are going, and at each hearing, we are almost certain that unfortunately he is not going to come out,” she tells us.

What are Paul Watson accused of?

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Paul Watson is a personality known for his punchy actions. Japan, which relaunched a request issued in 2012 via an Interpol red notice, accuses it of being co-responsible for damage and injuries on board a Japanese whaling ship two years earlier as part of a campaign carried out by Sea Shepherd.

In detail, the activist is being prosecuted for injuries which, according to the prosecution, were inflicted on February 11, 2010 on a sailor from the Shonan Maru 2 by a powerful stink ball containing butyric acid, and for the collision of the same ship four days later. “It’s a total injustice when we know that it was Japan that was condemned for poaching,” says Lamya Essemlali. Remember that Japan is, with Norway and Iceland, one of the last three countries in the world to practice commercial whaling.

He misses his sons terribly

Paul Watson hopes to return to France, where he has lived since July 2023 and where his young sons, Tiger and Murtagh (8 and 4 years old), are at school. “He misses his children terribly. At the end of the hearing, he insisted that they were deprived of their father and that he was facing injustice,” continues Lamya Essemlali. Imprisoned since the summer, the founder of Sea Shepherd has already missed their birthdays. “The next hearing has been set for December 2, for logistical reasons. It turns out that December 2 is his birthday. He will be 74 years old and he will be in court,” laments the Breton activist. Paul Watson also insisted during the hearing that he might miss Christmas with his two boys, which would sadden him deeply.

In “Paris Match”, Paul Watson explained last January that he was not afraid of ending up in prison if he was caught by the Japanese authorities. And that he would protect his family, if that were to happen: “I will make sure that they lack nothing, through insurance. Since the dawn of time, people have gone to war and had children. It's the same. Some people say to me: “How can you ask people to risk their lives to protect whales?” But young people are asked to risk their lives to protect oil wells, a religion, a flag or whatever. I think it’s much nobler to protect a whale or an ecosystem than someone’s property,” he told us.

Since his incarceration, Paul Watson has received the support of a large part of public opinion, activists and celebrities. Everyone is shouting for the immediate release of the protector of the whales. However, Lamya Essemlali is in full doubt regarding her next court hearing. Because the Danish Ministry of Justice, which recently received the opinions of the Greenlandic police and the general directorate of the prosecution on the extradition request, did not indicate when it would make its decision.

“Perhaps the Danish authorities will make a decision before then. It has still been three weeks since they have had all the defense documents and the prosecutor's indictment on their desk. Either they decide against extradition and, in this case, Paul will be released immediately. Either, they are in favor of extradition, and in this case, there will be an appeal which will be filed before the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights,” she concludes. See you in December.