France has refused to give political asylum to anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, who is under an arrest warrant from Japan, rejecting his plea that he faced arrest in his native Canada or in the US.
Ofpra, the French agency that handles asylum cases, said his fears were "unfounded" as both the United States and Canada are "democracies governed by the rule of law," according to a document seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday, September 23.
Watson, 74, who holds US and Canadian citizenship, is the founder of Sea Shepard. He was detained in Greenland for five months last year before Denmark rejected an extradition request from Japan, which accused him of joint responsibility for damage and injuries aboard a Japanese whaling ship in 2010 as part of a campaign led by the NGO Sea Shepherd.
He arrived in France at the end of 2024 and applied for asylum in February. Watson told AFP he is "disappointed" by Ofpra's decision, but added he hopes to acquire French citizenship.
In its decision, Ofpra said Watson "provided no serious evidence to suggest that he would not be able to assert his rights under regular extradition procedures" should he be arrested in Canada or the United States.
"France is not honoring itself by refusing political asylum to Paul Watson," his lawyer, Emmanuel Ludot, told AFP. "Japan maintains its international arrest warrant, so he is still in danger, wherever he may travel."