I personally believe this is a crap situation considering the politics of the reason this is occurring! I was looking at bringing a group of 16 school kids to Costa Rica(CR) to run an “Educational Adventure Trip” based on marine conservation. The trip and others like it would bring thousands of dollars into the country and promote CR and its Green Image. Now I am not so sure that CR is the place for such a program.
I no longer wish to support this country (CR) if it promotes Shark-Fining and imprisoning Paul Watson for acts done in Guatemala (of all places) in the name of conservation and sustainable fishing. Read the article below yourself and make your decision on the situation.
I believe Germany should get it’s nose out of this and set Paul Watson free, and CR should BAN shark-fining, and support anti poaching!
Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson Imprisoned in Germany
Toronto-born animal activist, star of the reality show Whale Wars,
and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Paul Watson is
currently being detained by German officials as he faces possible
extradition to Costa Rica on the basis of a 2002 maritime violation.
Watson was arrested this past weekend at the Frankfurt International
Airport due to the 10-year-old Costa Rican warrant, and should learn
tomorrow whether or not he’ll be extradited at the country’s request.
According to a statement from Watson
posted on the Sea Shepherd website, the “extradition request was in
reference to a complaint from Costa Rican fishermen who I caught
poaching in Guatemalan waters. The fishermen were not injured and their
boat was not damaged… Interpol originally denied this extradition order
and deemed it as politically motivated.”
Sea Shepherd maintains that Watson cannot possibly hope to have a
fair trial in Costa Rica, where the country’s illegal shark-fining
mafia could also try to do him personal harm. The environmental group is
calling on the German government to dismiss the case and deny the
extradition request. They have set up a donation form
for the Free Paul Watson fund, which will help support the legal defense and public education. They also ask supporters to appeal
directly to the German Ministry of Justice, and ask them to deny the
extradition request.