"Dolphin Activist Detained In Japan Says He's A 'Political Prisoner'"

"A U.S. activist featured in the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove", about a gory Japanese dolphin hunt, has been detained in Japan and said on Tuesday he was a political prisoner for his efforts to save dolphins.

Ric O'Barry has been held since being denied entry to Japan on Jan. 18 and faces deportation.

His work to help dolphins was highlighted in the 2009 film about an annual cull in the western city of Taiji, in which hundreds of dolphins are driven to shore and killed.

"I'm a political prisoner. I think there are higher-ups in government who are cracking down on those who speak out against their war on dolphins," O'Barry told Reuters in a telephone interview from an immigration lock-up near Tokyo's Narita airport."

Elaine Lies and Ami Miyazaki report for Reuters January 26, 2016.