Paul Watson, the anti-whaling activist jailed in Greenland awaiting possible extradition to Japan, has asked Emmanuel Macron for political asylum in France.

Watson was arrested in July after a Japanese request was received by Interpol over its confrontational tactics to disrupt whaling operations in Antarctica. If extradited and convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

His request to the French president was made in a letter a few days ago, said Lamya Essemlali, head of Sea Shepherd France, at a press conference in Paris. Macron has previously expressed his support for Watson and stressed the importance of the case for environmental protection and human rights. There was no immediate comment from Macron’s office on Wednesday.

Essemlali said: “Paul is very attached to France, and it is also the second largest marine area in the world, which is very important for marine conservation. “Paul currently lives in France with his family.” She said Watson was “down” and “isolated “, but “resilient”.

Jean Tamalet, a lawyer with ties to Sea Shepherd France, part of the U.S.-based conservation nonprofit, stressed that the request for political asylum was largely symbolic and aimed at securing Watson’s release.

Critics of Watson’s arrest in Greenland have claimed that it was based on long-standing political motivations related to Japan’s whaling practices. Japan considers the practices to be part of its cultural heritage.

For decades, Watson has led high-profile confrontations with whaling ships in the Southern Ocean. The arrest in Greenland occurred as Watson’s ship docked in Nuuk to refuel to intercept a Japanese whaling ship. Danish authorities are reviewing Japan’s extradition request.

More than a decade ago, Japan issued a Red Notice through Interpol. This is not an international arrest warrant, but a request for cooperation between Member States to search for and detain people pending extradition.

In the past, international authorities paid little attention to the red notice, allowing Watson to travel freely, according to Tamalet, who said: “That has obviously changed.”

In September 2022, Watson announced that he was leaving the Sea Shepherd group he founded and establishing a new organization, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.