Kommentar fra Naalakkersuisut vedr. afgørelsen i Paul Watson-sagen

Justitsministeriet har dags dato truffet afgørelse i den sag, hvor Paul Watson siden den 21. juli 2024 har siddet tilbageholdt i Nuuk på baggrund af en international arrestordre udstedt af Japan.

Da afgørelsen indebærer, at Justitsministeriet har vurderet, at betingelserne for udlevering ikke var opfyldt, forventer Naalakkersuisut, at Paul Watson bliver løsladt med det samme.

Justitsområdet er fortsat et dansk ansvarsområde og den gældende lov, der regulerer rammerne for udlevering, er fra 1967. Naalakkersuisut vil derfor som led i de løbende drøftelser med rigsmyndighederne om opdatering af lovgivning anmode Justitsministeriet om, at reglerne opdateres, så de er tidssvarende. Det vil bl.a. indebære, at det fremover udelukkende vil være retternes kompetence at træffe afgørelse om, hvorvidt betingelser for udlevering er opfyldt

”Naalakkersuisut har fulgt sagen fra sidelinjen, men har ikke haft nogen form for indflydelse på afgørelsen i sagen og har heller ikke haft indblik i sagens akter. Grønland er et retssamfund, og Naalakkersuisut har grundlæggende tillid til, at Justitsministeriet og landets domstole har behandlet sagen i henhold til de gældende regler. Naalakkersuisut tager på den baggrund afgørelsen til efterretning”.

****************************************

Comment from the Government of Greenland regarding the ruling in the case of Paul Watson

As of today, the Danish Ministry of Justice has reached a verdict in the extradition case of Paul Watson, who has been detained since the 21st of July 2024 in Nuuk on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by Japan.

The Ministry of Justice considers the conditions for extradition not met. Thus, the Government of Greenland expects Paul Watson to be released as soon as possible.

The criminal justice field in Greenland remains under Danish jurisdiction and the current law regulating the framework for extradition dates back to 1967. In its ongoing dialogue with Danish authorities, the Government of Greenland will request the Danish Ministry of Justice to review the law to ensure it is kept up to date with current international practices. One implication of this update would be to ensure that in the future, the responsibility of ruling in cases of extradition will fall solely under the competence of legal courts.

“The Government of Greenland has followed the case from the sidelines and has not had access to the case file, as it is not a party to the case. Greenland is a society governed by the rule of law, and the Government of Greenland fully trusts the Ministry of Justice and the court system to have ensured, that the conditions for extradition have been met in accordance with the law. The Government of Greenland takes note of the ruling against extradition.”