PARIS (AP) — Environmental activist Paul Watson, who is being held in Greenland and faces possible extradition to Japan, has formally applied for French citizenship after France’s foreign minister said his earlier request for political asylum could not be processed because he was is not on French territory.
Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd and a leading anti-whaling advocate, was arrested in Nuuk, Greenland, in July while trying to intercept a Japanese whaling ship. Japan, which has long sought Watson’s extradition, accuses him of hindering commercial whaling and injuring crew members during a confrontation in Antarctic waters in 2010.
His recent appeal for French citizenship, announced Thursday by his lawyer Jean Tamalet, reflects a strategic shift after comments by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot that asylum claims must be made within France.
Tamalet highlighted Watson’s important contributions to marine conservation, in line with French environmental priorities, and argued that his work deserves consideration of “exceptional services” under French naturalization protocols.
The French government is now investigating Watson’s citizenship application, while Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher reiterated France’s call for his release from custody. Watson expressed his gratitude to President Emmanuel Macron.
