Overview

• On July 22, Interpol’s Commission de contrôle des fichiers formally erased the red notice that sought Watson’s provisional arrest over a 2010 Antarctic whaling confrontation.
• The CCF cited Denmark’s refusal to extradite Watson and the fact that several other countries declined to act on Tokyo’s request as key factors in its decision.
• Interpol emphasized the move addressed compliance with its data-management guidelines and did not assess the merits of the underlying allegations.
• Sea Shepherd hailed the erasure as an end to Watson’s criminalization but cautioned that Japan’s arrest warrant remains active and could be enforced by any country.
• Japan’s government condemned the decision as regrettable and vowed to continue pursuing Watson’s extradition under its standing warrant.