An injunction from the military will not prevent a former elite soldier’s book from being released

National newspaper Politiken has published the entire contents of a controversial book by an ex-Special Forces soldier that the military is fighting to ban.

According to the military, Thomas Rathsack’s book, ‘Jæger – i krig med eliten’ (‘Hunter – at war with the elite’), contains sensitive information which would create a security risk for the country if made public.

‘The military cannot use a general reference to national security as a means to determine which books should be published in Denmark or under what conditions the media may cover something or how we cover it,’ said Thøger Seidenfaden, Politiken’s editor in chief.

Publication of the supplement in today’s issue of Politiken comes as the book’s publisher, People’s Press, announced it would release the book, despite an injunction by the military.

The military has also threatened to sue Rathsack, claiming the soldier’s book violates the vow of confidentiality he made when joining the Special Forces.

Media legal expert Oluf Jørgensen said the military’s attempts to halt the book’s publication have come far too late.

‘They can’t stop the book from being published when it’s now already been done,’ he said. ‘I think the military’s agenda in this case is to scare other soldiers from attempting to write future books about their own experiences.’

Søren Gade, the defence minister, said he was ‘fed up’ with the affair.

‘I wish the military could have come to a solution with the publisher,’ he said. ‘There have been countless articles and books about the military’s operations, including those in Afghanistan and Iraq.’

‘But we have to acknowledge that there are of course some things that should not see the light of day for the sake of other people’s safety.’