*[Enwl-eng] A Message from Captain Paul Watson
enwl
enwl at enw.net.ru
Tue Oct 8 23:24:05 MSK 2024
From: Captain Paul Watson Foundation <contact at paulwatsonfoundation.org>
Date: вт, 8 окт. 2024 г. в 16:40
Subject: A Message from Captain Paul Watson
A Special Message from Captain Paul Watson
photo
by Elven Villecourt
"Justice Delayed is Justice Denied"
Written by Captain Paul Watson inside Nuuk Prison
October 2, 2024
Today is my 73rd day of incarceration in Nuuk prison
and it was my 4th appearance in the Greenland court. It was what I expected,
the judge refused documentation and arguments from my defense team and
ordered me detained for an additional 28 days. That means 91 days on a bogus
accusation on a very minor offense from 14 years ago for something I did not
participate in.
It's a classic case of “Justice delayed is Justice
denied”.
The court has all the evidence, they have all the
information needed to make a decision. It is clearly quite political.
The judge sat the bench like a stone
Evidence he denied to be shown
The prosecutor scowled
With contempt for the crowd
Her bias reflected in her tone
And so my friends it’s back to my cell with a view,
where I can see the icebergs in the fjord and the occasional breach of a
humpback whale to remind me why I am here.
I can endure the time for however long it takes. My
only concern, my only regret is separation from my wife and our two little
boys. I am not here because I am a criminal. I am here for opposing a
criminal enterprise with the most deadly of weapons – a camera.
With our cameras we exposed the crimes of the
Japanese whaling industry and in so doing, we embarrassed the proud nation
of Japan, bringing their unlawful activities into the living rooms of
millions of people around the world with our Animal Planet television show
“Whale Wars”.
Japanese whaling is not a criminal enterprise
because I say so. It is a criminal operation for violating the 1986
International Whaling Commission’s Global Moratorium on Commercial Whaling.
Japan’s argument of it being a research effort and non-commercial was shut
down in 2014 by the world’s highest court, the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) in the Hague. This ruled that slaughtering whales in the
Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary was not research. It is commercial.
The whalers went to sea you see,
To see how many whales to kill, you see
We caught them in the act
An indisputable fact
And drove them from the sea, you see
In addition, the Japanese whalers deliberately
rammed and destroyed a two million (US) dollar catamaran, broke the rib of
an Animal Planet cameraman, pitching 6 crewmembers into the frigid waters of
the Southern Ocean, refusing to rescue them. In the face of the documented
violence, the whalers suffered no consequences. When the Greenlandic
prosecutor claims that a single Japanese whaler suffered a blister on his
cheek, from the chemical pepper spray from his own crew, something she
describes as a crime of severity, it illustrates the almost comical
absurdity of the charges.
What she claims is trespassing is captured on film
showing Pete Bethune politely knocking on the wheelhouse door of the Shonan
Maru, the door opens, he hands the Japanese captain a letter of complaint
and a request for compensation for the ship they deliberately destroyed. The
Japanese response was to kidnap captain Bethune and to transport him to
Japan to charge him with trespassing, obstruction of business, and assault.
He was interrogated daily until he confessed to the charges although he
refused to confess to assault.
It was only after a coerced confession was he
brought before a judge where a deal was made. A suspended sentence in
exchange for a statement that I ordered him to take these actions. He was
then released and allowed to return home and a warrant was issued against me
for conspiracy.
After his release, Pete Bethune signed an affidavit
stating he lied in exchange for the suspended sentence. His accusation was
the sole evidence that Japan used against me, but despite the retraction by
captain Bethune, the Japanese prosecutor refused to drop the charges against
me.
The whalers sliced his boat in two
Our cameras have proved this true
Pete Bethune was kidnapped
The evidence was scrapped
By the criminal whaling crew
What makes my incarceration bearable is the
tremendous worldwide support I am receiving. Hundreds of thousands of names
signing petitions for my release. So many demonstrations in hundreds of
places around the globe, thousands of calls to the Danish Embassies and
Consulates, the support of world leaders like President Macron of France and
President Lula of Brazil, numerous celebrities, concerts held on my behalf.
Such an incredible outpouring of love and support all brought together by
our collective love and respect for whales and dolphins, diversity and
interdependence of all life in the sea and on land.
The enemy has been clearly identified
Five thousand people from many a state
Protesting with actions, petitions and art
All united in opposing cetacide
It’s compassion we seek to instigate
Fired by courage born deep in the heart.
I am so very grateful for the 2,300 letters I have
received in prison from over 30 countries. I am especially grateful and very
much touched by the hundreds of letters from children, many accompanied with
drawings of whales or poems.
Every poem, every drawing of a whale
Sent by children from around the Ocean
Delivered here behind this prison wall
Provides a storm of hope to fill my soul
Unleashing a tsunami of emotion
From across the blue shroud I hear them call.
I am in this prison cell for another four weeks, so
please continue to raise your voices. It means a great deal and it is
effective. Please continue to contact Danish Embassies and Consulates. And
please continue to send me your letters, drawings and poems. The prison
guards tell me they have never seen anyone receive so much mail and your
letters very much reflect the level of support. It also keeps me busy
because I read every piece of mail. I try to answer as many as I can
although it has been difficult because I am still recovering from the
handcuff injury to my writing hand (my left hand). However, when I am
released, I will answer every letter with a certificate of appreciation for
your support. You all give me strength.
A very special thank you to Lamya Essemlali, the
President of Sea Shepherd France, to Elodie, and Christelle for making the
numerous trips from France to Nuuk, Greenland. They have been with me for
every court appearance. Thank you also to Nathalie Gil, the President of Sea
Shepherd Brazil, who made the long trip from Brazil to attend one of my
appearances. Thank you to Rod Marining, who along with myself was a
co-founder of Greenpeace. He journeyed all the way from Vancouver to visit
me. Thanks also for the visits from Omar Todd, Kylie Herd, and Rob Read from
the Captain Paul Watson Foundation for making the long trip to visit me.
Thanks to Locky MacLean and Dior for visiting me and the crew of the John
Paul DeJoria for attending my first court appearance. Thanks to Vakita from
France, Nat Geo from the USA, and other film crews from Denmark, France, and
the UK for visiting and interviewing me in this prison.
My Nordic jail cell has an amazing view,
Of the wild wide fjord that lies before me
Studded with jagged bergy bits of ice
Where great whales breach upon the Ocean blue
Happy and free in the Greenlandic sea
A wondrous site worthy of sacrifice.
Captain Paul Watson
Nuuk Prison, Greenland
To send letters to Paul in prison, please address
them to:
Anstalten Prison
c/o Paul Watson
Nuuk, Greenland
DK-3900
Click here to sign the Peition
Click here for other ways to help #freepaulwatson
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Our Contact Information
Captain Paul Watson Foundation
16192 Coastal Hwy
Lewes, DE 19958
contact at paulwatsonfoundation.org
https://www.paulwatsonfoundation.org/
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From: Svet Zabelin
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2024 5:47 PM
Subject: Fwd: A Message from Captain Paul Watson
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