Julian Assange released, vows Wikileaks to fight o

Julian Assange speaks to reporters as he leaves the High Court. Source: Getty Images

JULIAN Assange strode to freedom on the steps of the High Court in London and vowed his Wikileaks website would fight on.

The 39-year-old Australian was released after nine days in the Victorian-era Wandsworth prison when the High Court said he should be granted bail while he resists extradition to Sweden on sex abuse allegations that he claims are a crude attempt to silence him.

After a day of uncertainty about his fate, Mr Assange and his legal team walked outside the court yesterday into a light snow storm on The Strand to address about 200 journalists from around the world.

"It's great to smell the fresh air of London again," he said.

"First, some thankyous. To all the people around the world who have had faith in me, who have supported my team while I have been away.

"To my lawyers, who have put up a brave and ultimately successful fight, to our sureties (bail guarantors) and people who have provided money in the face of great difficulty and aversion.

"And to members of the press who are not all taken in, and considered to look deeper in their work.

"And I guess finally, to the British justice system itself, where if justice is not always the outcome at least it is not dead yet.

"During my time in solitary confinement in the bottom of a Victorian prison I had time to reflect on the conditions of those people around the world also in solitary confinement, also on remand, in conditions that are more difficult than those faced by me.

"Those people also need your attention and support.

"And with that I hope to continue my work and continue to protest my innocence in this matter and to reveal, as we get it, which we have not yet, the evidence from these allegations."

Justice Duncan Ouseley rejected an appeal against Mr Assange's bail by Swedish authorities, who claimed if he was set free he might flee rather than face charges in Sweden that he allegedly committed four sex offences against two women in what began as consensual sexual encounters.

Justice Ouseley said one reason he believed Mr Assange was unlikely to abscond was that the allegations against him in Sweden did not seem to be "a cast iron case... so he has some prospects of success".

Evidence that one Swedish prosecutor felt there was no case against Mr Assange before another prosecutor disagreed and decided to pursue the matter suggested that the case "would be one that could be resisted by an innocent man," said Justice Ouseley.

Mr Assange denies the allegations of sexual abuse and insists the Swedish prosecution is a politically motivated attempt to stop his website from revealing US government secrets.

The internet publisher's release was delayed by a scramble to meet the court's demand for a £200,000 ($316,000) security payment and sureties from seven people who were prepared to stake their reputations and up to £20,000 of their own money on their confidence Mr Assange would not skip bail.

Mr Assange's legal team raced throughout the afternoon to meet those conditions before the close of business so their client would not be sent back for another night in solitary confinement, where he has been constantly monitored by infra-red cameras.

The providers of sureties included Australian journalist Phillip Knightley, publishing tycoon Felix Dennis, Nobel laureate for medicine Sir John Sulston, former British Labour spokesman on justice in the House of Lords Matthew Evans and academic Professor Patricia David.

The judge said he was worried that many of the people who had offered to back Mr Assange did not know him personally and were motivated by their support for his work with Wikileaks fighting for freedom of speech.

That raised the risk they might feel it would be "a righteous act" for Mr Assange to skip bail in order to continue his Wikileaks work, the judge said.

The judge's solution was to accept stringent bail conditions and a mix of sureties from the public figures who backed Mr Assange and from two personal friends, caterer Sarah Saunders and Vaughan Smith, a club owner in whose country estate Mr Assange will be obliged to live during his extradition hearings.

Mr Assange will have to wear an electronic tag and observe curfews of 12 hours each day while staying at Ellingham Hall, the mansion on Mr Smith's 600-acre property in Suffolk.

Mr Smith's home has ten bedrooms which are often rented out to visitors and members of hunting parties. Mr Assange will be paying for his lodgings and board, according to Mr Smith.

Mr Assange will have to report to police each day and he has surrendered his passport

The Obama Administration has made it clear it wants to take legal action against Mr Assange and his website, and it has been considering charges under the 1917 Espionage Act or other laws relating to his role in obtaining and publishing massive cashes of stolen US government cables.

Bradley Manning, a junior US military analyst, is in custody for having leaked the confidential cables and the Department of Justice is examining ways of linking Mr Assange to Mr Manning's alleged crimes.

The extradition case will resume on January 11 with two full days of hearings set down in early February. Legal experts say a European Arrest Warrant like that used against Mr Assange is highly likely to see him ultimately sent to Sweden but appeals could stretch the matter out for more than a year.

source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/julian-assange-released-vows-wikileaks-to-fight-o...