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The Captain Paul Watson Foundation reports that INTERPOL has suspended the Red Notice against Captain Paul Watson, which means that his freedom of movement has been restored while he awaits the Commission’s final decision, expected in June 2025.

INTERPOL Suspends Red Notice Against Captain Paul Watson
From The Captain Paul Watson Foundation, PaulWatsonFoundation.org
April 2025

Photo from The Captain Paul Watson Foundation

We welcome the decision by INTERPOL’s Commission for the Control of Files to suspend the Red Notice issued by Japan against Captain Paul Watson.

Captain Watson was arrested in 2024 in Greenland based on this Red Notice and endured nearly five months of uncertainty, facing possible extradition to Japan. Despite the political pressure behind the case, Denmark ultimately rejected Japan’s extradition request, and Captain Watson was released just days before a final decision was due. The suspension of the Red Notice is a further vindication of the injustice he faced. The Commission has now formally removed the Red Notice from INTERPOL’s Information System, meaning that none of INTERPOL’s 196 member states or affiliated organizations can access or act on it until the Commission reaches its final decision, expected after its June 2025 session. In the meantime, Captain Watson’s freedom of movement has been fully restored.

In its statement, the Commission expressed serious concerns regarding the Notice’s compliance with INTERPOL’s rules. It cited the politically motivated nature of Japan’s case, the disproportionate nature of the arrest warrant, the risks of violating Captain Watson’s fundamental rights—including the right to a fair trial and protection from mistreatment in detention—and the presence of numerous inconsistencies, inaccuracies, and outright falsehoods in the Japanese case file.

Captain Watson remains confident that the Commission will uphold this suspension in its final ruling. He continues to fight for the protection of our oceans and marine wildlife—a mission he has championed for over 40 years. In June 2025, around the same time the Commission will issue its final decision, Captain Watson will speak at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, where he has been invited to share his perspective as a leading voice in international ocean conservation.

This decision marks another step forward for justice—and a powerful message to those who attempt to use legal systems to silence environmental defenders.

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Posted on All-Creatures.org: April 24, 2025
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