Sweden appeals Assange bail decision

WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange has been freed on bail by a UK court today, "to cheers from inside and outside the court", the Guardian reports. But Assange will stay in detention tonight after Swedish prosecutors' move to appeal the British court's decision to grant him bail on allegations of rape in Stockholm. Sweden appeals Assange bail decision Assange, who has already been held for a week, was granted GBP 240,000 bail with strict conditions, including a curfew, reporting to police every day, wearing an electronic tag and surrendering his passport. Sweden has not charged Assange with any crime and wants him for questioning. According to reports, Assange will now remain in jail until a hearing at a higher court within 48 hours, guardian.co.uk reports. Assange's lawyer Mark Stephens spoke outside the court to tell reporters: "The prosecution is doing no more than taking instructions from Sweden.They are continuing to persecute Mr. Assange... an innocent man is in custody." Earlier today, euronews reported that Swedish authorities want the WikiLeaks founder back to face questioning on a sexual misconduct case, and that his legal team was likely to argue the demands were politically motivated. The release on WikiLeaks of thousands of diplomatic cables written by U.S. agencies to the State Department has angered and embarrassed Washington. From its data storage bunker in Sweden, the site has tried to resist numerous cyber attacks. Apparent US pressure has also been brought to bear on companies dealing with donations that support the whistle-blowing organisation. Last week, Assange turned himself in to UK authorities after Interpol issued an international warrant on behalf of Sweden. His supporters, particularly in his native Australia, claim the sexual misconduct charges, which Assange denies, are being used to stop WikiLeaks in its tracks. The U.S. Justice Department has said it aims to indict Assange for espionage offences after releasing the classified cables; his supporters say he is being targeted for voicing the truth. (Beta/AP) More determined Assange, who has not been charged in Sweden and is wanted there for questioning, spent the past week in jail in London. Before he was freed on bail today, speaking from Wandsworth prison via his mother Christine, he said that his arrest had only made him more determined. Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said: “There is every indication that this is because of the pressure from the US government on the financial companies to stop processing the cards to us for example. So it’s a very serious thing which we will respond to with strong legal means.” Following their refusal to process Wikileaks payments, Assange said that Visa, Mastercard and Paypal were “instruments of foreign policy” and called on the world to “protect his work” from what he described as “illegal and immoral attacks”. In Sweden the statutory definition of rape is very broad, and Assange denies the accusations against him, saying they stem from a dispute about consensual but unprotected sex.

Sweden appeals Assange bail decision

Assange, who has already been held for a week, was granted GBP 240,000 bail with strict conditions, including a curfew, reporting to police every day, wearing an electronic tag and surrendering his passport.

Sweden has not charged Assange with any crime and wants him for questioning.

According to reports, Assange will now remain in jail until a hearing at a higher court within 48 hours, guardian.co.uk reports.

Assange's lawyer Mark Stephens spoke outside the court to tell reporters: "The prosecution is doing no more than taking instructions from Sweden.They are continuing to persecute Mr. Assange... an innocent man is in custody."

Earlier today, euronews reported that Swedish authorities want the WikiLeaks founder back to face questioning on a sexual misconduct case, and that his legal team was likely to argue the demands were politically motivated.

The release on WikiLeaks of thousands of diplomatic cables written by U.S. agencies to the State Department has angered and embarrassed Washington.

From its data storage bunker in Sweden, the site has tried to resist numerous cyber attacks. Apparent US pressure has also been brought to bear on companies dealing with donations that support the whistle-blowing organisation.

Last week, Assange turned himself in to UK authorities after Interpol issued an international warrant on behalf of Sweden.

His supporters, particularly in his native Australia, claim the sexual misconduct charges, which Assange denies, are being used to stop WikiLeaks in its tracks.

The U.S. Justice Department has said it aims to indict Assange for espionage offences after releasing the classified cables; his supporters say he is being targeted for voicing the truth.

More determined

Assange, who has not been charged in Sweden and is wanted there for questioning, spent the past week in jail in London.

Before he was freed on bail today, speaking from Wandsworth prison via his mother Christine, he said that his arrest had only made him more determined.

Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said: “There is every indication that this is because of the pressure from the US government on the financial companies to stop processing the cards to us for example. So it’s a very serious thing which we will respond to with strong legal means.”

Following their refusal to process Wikileaks payments, Assange said that Visa, Mastercard and Paypal were “instruments of foreign policy” and called on the world to “protect his work” from what he described as “illegal and immoral attacks”.

In Sweden the statutory definition of rape is very broad, and Assange denies the accusations against him, saying they stem from a dispute about consensual but unprotected sex.