[UPDATED] Julian Assange Granted Bail

Protesters outside the Swedish Embassy in Britain (AP)

Assange in a prison van

[UPDATE BELOW]WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been granted bail in England—with a host of conditions. A British judge earlier today reversed course and is allowing Assange to leave prison on a £240,000 bail (is Michael Moore helping pay?). But the WikiLeaker will have to live in a designated location, a mansion called Ellingham Hall, with a curfew from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.. He also must report to a police station each day at 6 p.m.

Additionally he has surrendered his passport and will have to wear an electronic monitor. His next court date in London to deal with his extradition case is set for January 11, 2011. Meanwhile, the leaks? They keep leaking.

UPDATE: Well, never mind all that for now. The Swedes are appealing the decision to give Assange bail and the case will go to the high court in the next 48 hours. Outside of court Assange's lawyer told reporters "This is really turning in to a show trial. We will be in court in the next 48 hours, they haven't given us the courtesy to say when. It is an unfortunate state of affairs ... but given their history of persecuting of Mr Assange, it is perhaps not surprising."

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By Garth Johnston in News on December 14, 2010 11:27 AM

Comments [rss]

Guest

will the next headline be: "assange immediately heads back to his mum's basement for even more hacking"?

That's What She Said

Off to the Millennium Hotel Bar for some celebratory drinks?

chuzzlewit

not so fast you fiend!
he's not out on bail now, as swedish authorities have lodged an appeal.
back to solitary.

Mordicai

The guy who turned himself in is a flight risk? Listen-- I don't want to demean rape charges. Those are serious accusations, & I've seen plenty of people laugh them off for sports stars (& well, everyone else, since sexual assault is so badly prosecuted) so I don't want to fall into that trap. I will say, however, that we aren't seeing a sexual assault case here-- this isn't how Assange would be treated if that was the case. No, this is all politics by proxy, using the legal system to rail road unpopular journalists. Spooky.

EastRiver

Spooky is when your dinner gets spiked with polonium.

chuzzlewit

spooky is when you realize your host doesn't have a butler just as the butler raises a cane to his lips which you then notice is actually a blowgun.

chuzzlewit

well alright then.
i was worried the remaining leaks were going to have to be smuggled out of wandsworth twisted into a screw of foolscap tucked into the skirts of the red-nosed jailers wife, who is a short thin squeezed-up woman with a vixenish countenance.