Good afternoon,

I am writing to share an interview that we broadcast on the independent, daily news hour Democracy Now! today. We speak to Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd about decade-old charges he faces in Costa Rica stemming from a confrontation with shark fin poachers, accusing him of putting their lives in danger. He has been released on bail in Germany and faces possible extradition to Costa Rica.

Sea Shepherd continues to maintain that Watson's arrest was politically motivated and is calling on its supporters to come together in a day of action on Wednesday when the Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla visits Germany.

"We've never injured anybody," Watson says about the Sea Shepherd's commitment to nonviolent direct action to enforce international fishing and conservation laws. "The most powerful weapon in the world as far as I'm concerned is the camera, so we go into battle armed with cameras. -- Right now 19 million sharks a year are being destroyed to feed the shark fin industry in Asia. And that means the fins are cut off of these animals and they're thrown back into the ocean, and this is what we filmed off of Guatemala and this is what we intervened against -- a highly illegal operation."

Please watch this interview and consider posting and sharing it on your website and social media. We also provide the complete transcript on our website.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Please let me know if you have any questions.

My Best,
David Salay
Social Media and Online Outreach Intern
Democracy Now!

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HEADLINE:
Sea Shepherd Founder Paul Watson Fights Extradition to Costa Rica for 2002 Shark Defense

DEMOCRACY NOW LINK:
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/22/ sea_shepherd_founder_paul_watson_fights 

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http://www.treehugger.com/culture/sea-shepherd-protest-costa-rican-presidential-visit-germany.html

The Paul Watson Saga Continues: Sea Shepherd to Protest Costa Rican Presidential Visit to Germany

Gentikmonoeil Bonpiendbonoeil/CCBY-SA 2.0

A really sort of strangely-timed turn in tale of Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson getting arrested in Germany on a Costa Rican warrant, stemming from an incident dating back to 2002.

Watson should be released on bail today. Though I'm not as convinced as Sea Shepherd that it was solely "the unmistakable result of the thousands of letters, emails, faxes, and phone callsthat were sent out this week." Even if granting bail to a non-German citizen in this sort of case is unusual, so is giving the Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs the ability to just say no and block the extradition, as Watson's attorney points out.

The whole thing is unusual, including the timing of the arrest.

Adding to that unusualness is the fact that the Costa Rica's President
Laura Chinchilla left for a European tour over the weekend, with, you guessed it, stops in Germany .

Back at home, the elements of the Chinchilla administration have distanced themselves from the prosecution, in the sense that various ministers have said they can't interfere with the justice system; that's another branch of government.

As you might expect, Sea Shepherd will be protesting Chinchilla's visit.
We are calling for a Global Day of Action on Wednesday May23rd. On this day the President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, will be visiting German Chancellor Merkel in Berlin . Wednesday May 23rd is S.O.S. Day - Save Our Skipper!

All around the world, Sea Shepherds will be making our voices heard at German embassies and consulates between 1100 and 1300 hours(local time). Organize or join the cacophony of voices at the closest German embassy or consulate and demand Captain Paul Watson's freedom. We are confident that through your participation Germany will not carry out an extradition that would be the same as carrying out a death sentence. Captain Paul Watson's enemies within the shark fin mafia are capable of reaching inside the prisons of Costa Rica . If extradited to Costa Rica , it is unlikely Captain Paul Watson would live to see the inside of a Costa Rican courthouse.

There is no location more important to assemble than where President Chinchilla will begin her head of state visit in Berlin . This meeting will open with full military honors 11:00 am at Schloss Bellevue. Rally to Captain Paul Watson's side when he personally makes his stand at Schloss Bellevue. Specific details will be forthcoming here and on the Sea Shepherd Germany website.

We ask that Captain Paul Watson's supporters continue to be respectful in their messaging. We are confident that with your help the President of Costa Rica, the German Chancellor, and Honorable Ministers of Germany will safeguard Captain Paul Watson's human rights by not bowing to bogus accusations of shark fin poachers who are nothing more than common criminal.