The District Court decided to raid the Aftonbladet – Aftonbladet

Aftonbladet, referring to the protection of sources not wanted to disclose the images of two suspected robbers to the police.

Now, Solna District Court has given police and prosecutors the right to conduct a search on editorial staff.

– It is my job as publisher of safeguarding protection of sources, it is enacted into law, says publisher in January Helin.

After a robbery in Kista Galleria on Sunday sent a tipster pictures to Aftonbladet on two suspected perpetrators fleeing on a moped. When Aftonbladet published images masked face of the person whose face would otherwise have been able to see. It was made by the press ethical reasons because Aftonbladet could not be sure that the people in the image committed the crime.

The police have been after that requested that Aftonbladet will give out the pictures, but Aftonbladet has said no.

Now Solna District Court has given police and prosecutors the right to conduct a search on Aftonbladet’s editorial board.

“The District Court shall, on the basis of Chapter 28. § 1 second paragraph of the Code of Procedure, the home search may be undertaken at the newspaper Aftonbladet’s editorial staff in order to seek out and seize the IT unit / IT devices containing unmasked pictures of the suspected perpetrators. “

” would be likely to reveal the source “

– It is my job as publisher of safeguarding protection of sources, it is enacted into law. We have here a situation with images that come to us via an informant who wishes to remain anonymous. If we could provide the picture files to the police, we would run the risk of disclosing the source. Image files have today are often a number of metadata with them that makes the source would go to track. Therefore, we do not leave out the picture, says Aftonbladet publisher in January Helin.

– I have no interest in preventing police work, but I am obliged to protect our sources and it is a sacred journalistic principle we live by at Aftonbladet.

has hired attorney

Aftonbladet investigating whether it is possible to display the image of the police and still protect the source.

– We are now investigating both the police have the right to require the image files; Thus, if the Solna District Court search warrant on Aftonbladet’s editorial team is stronger than the law on protection of sources. We also investigate whether it is possible to meet the police’s desire to see the pictures and still protect the source. This is the judgment that I can not do yourself. Therefore, I have asked our lawyer Thomas Olsson to investigate the legal situation. We will of course comply with the provisions of the law in force, says Jan Helin.

He also explains why Aftonbladet decided to publish a masked version of the images.

– The reason why we have chosen to publish the pictures of the suspect pixelated is a press ethical decisions. It is based simply that we can not be sure that the person in the picture is guilty of the crimes committed at the mall.