Monday, August 13, 2012

Where's Wally?

The media were like sharks ripping a whale carcass to shreds.
Bail skip! International arrest warrant! Global manhunt!
Er, not quite...
INTERPOL issued a Red Notice for Sea Shepherd's Paul Watson after he skipped bail in Germany. Costa Rica was attempting to extradite him on charges of endangering a fishing vessel in 2002.
A week after fleeing house arrest in Frankfurt, Watson's lawyer released a letter claiming charges against him were influenced by the shark and whale poaching industries he has interfered with for decades. In the letter, Watson said he decided to skip bail after learning Japan had also requested his extradition and was expected to receive approval: "I know the whale killing poachers of Japan will continue to exploit all avenues to find a way to stop me. I have, however, eluded them once again," he wrote, from a "place on this planet where I feel comfortable, a safe place far away from the scheming nations who have turned a blind eye to the exploitation of our oceans." SS says its unaware of Watson's location and only received the letter via email from the captain’s lawyer.
After the erroneous media feeding frenzy, INTERPOL issued a clarification:
...a Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant. It is a request by INTERPOL for member countries to determine whether they can detain or arrest an individual in order for the requesting country to seek their extradition. INTERPOL cannot demand that any member country arrest the subject of a Red Notice.
Any additional enquiries in relation to the Red Notice for Paul Watson should be directed to Costa Rican authorities...
The veteran activist pledged to continue his efforts to sabotage poaching of marine life, announcing a new campaign in Japan, starting December. Well, regardless of that sentiment, he's just kissed goodbye to €250,000 / £196K / US$319K bail...
"I can serve my clients better at sea
than in a Japanese jail cell
and I intend to do just that."

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