Photo/Illutration Paul Watson, founder of the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, attends an animal rights rally in Berlin on May 23, 2012. (REUTERS)

PARIS--Environmental activist Paul Watson, who is detained in Greenland and facing possible extradition to Japan, has formally requested French citizenship after France’s Foreign Minister said his earlier bid for political asylum could not be processed because he is not on French soil.

Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd and a prominent anti-whaling advocate, was detained in Nuuk, Greenland, in July as he sought to intercept a Japanese whaling ship. Japan, which has long sought Watson’s extradition, accuses him of obstructing commercial whaling activities and injuring crew members during a confrontation in Antarctic waters in 2010.

His recent appeal for French citizenship, announced by his lawyer Jean Tamalet Thursday, reflects a strategic shift following comments by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot’s that asylum requests must be filed within France.

Tamalet emphasized Watson’s significant contributions to marine conservation, aligning with France’s environmental priorities, and argued that his work merits “exceptional services” consideration under French naturalization protocols.

The French government is now examining Watson’s citizenship application, while Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher reiterated France’s call for his release from custody. Watson expressed his gratitude to President Emmanuel Macron.

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