Assange wins back freedom

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: After spending a week in prison, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Thursday won back his freedom as the High Court threw out an appeal by Swiss authorities against the bail granted to him by a magistrates' court earlier this week.

The court rejected the prosecution's claim that there was a risk that, because of his “nomadic lifestyle'', Mr. Assange could abscond if set free.

“That is not the conduct of a person who is seeking to evade justice,” said Mr. Justice Ouseley pointing out that the defendant had himself surrendered to the police when he learned that there was an arrest warrant against him.

However, Mr. Assange's legal difficulties are not over yet as he now faces attempts to extradite him to Sweden to answer allegations of sexual assault brought by two women. Extradition hearings are expected to be held next month.

The court upheld most of the original bail conditions including a £240,000 security deposit in cash. Mr. Assange would be required to wear an electronic tag to monitor his movements and report to the local police station every day. His lawyer Mark Stephens said the security money, raised mostly by his supporters among whom are a number of high-profile figures, was “within the banking system”.

The news of the bail sparked jubilant scenes outside the High Court where hundreds of people had gathered despite freezing temperatures and rain. Writer Tariq Ali said he was greatly “relieved''.

“He should never have been denied bail in the first place,” he said describing his arrest as “vindictive and punitive''.

While Mr. Assange's legal team said the appeal was part of a “continuing vendetta by the Swedes” the Swedish Prosecutor's office claimed that the decision to appeal was made by Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Swedes had nothing to do with it.

“The decision was made by the British prosecutor….The Swedish prosecutors are not allowed to make decisions within Britain,'' said Karin Rosander, director of communications for Sweden Prosecutor's Office.