Assange Affair: Helin Calls Internal Affairs 'Kling & Klang'

Aftonbladet's editor in chief insists all is above board.

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STOCKHOLM (Radsoft) — Aftonbladet editor in chief Jan Helin hit back at the Chancellor of Justice and the Stockholm police internal affairs division, call them 'Kling & Klang'.

'The Chancellor of Justice claims in a TT telegram that I as editor in chief of Aftonbladet have contacted the police and announced that we have access to the Assange case dossier. This is completely erroneous', writes Helin on his blog at the Stockholm tabloid.

'I've never spoken with the police about this, even less told the police what source material we have and don't have. That would break our publicist code of ethics.'

'It's very sloppy behaviour on the part of those authorities to spread such innuendoes.'

AA-187-62129-2010

Helin says all the IAD detectives 'Kling & Klang' have to do to research the matter is request file AA-187-62129-2010 - the account of what materials were released and how.

Helin's reporter Kristina Edblom submitted a formal application for all documents related to the Assange case and police jurist Peter Granquist reviewed the request and granted it - aside from blackening out certain details covered by the secrecy act, says Helin.

'A journalist with average skills can figure this out in 15 minutes. And corroborate that as far as leaking the dossier is concerned, there are no hidden sources who met with reporters in a garage. Not even the Pentagon seem to be involved', writes Helin.



'It is downright embarrassing that authorities like the Chancellor of Justice together with Kling & Klang should mystify a completely normal and open process and in complete ignorance spread false information that raises suspicions about me and the police in general.'

Helin admits police jurist Granquist may have been in error, but that part's a matter for the IAD and the Chancellor's office.

'The Assange case doesn't need any more Swedish authorities speaking out about their suspicions', concludes Helin.

Jan Helin was born Jan Gustav Karlsson in 1967 in Nynäshamn south of Stockholm. He changed his family name to that of his paternal grandmother when marrying his wife Charlotte. He began his career at Sundsvalls Tidning and came to Aftonbladet as an apprentice in 1992. He became editor in chief of Aftonbladet in 2008.

Aftonbladet is a Stockholm tabloid owned today by a Norwegian media group.

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