WIKILEAKS FOUNDER Julian Assange is to resume leadership of his organisation, which continues to release confidential state department embassy cables, following his release on conditional bail by a High Court judge in London.
The Australian, who had been held in solitary confinement in Wandsworth Prison, emerged from the Old Bailey shortly before 6pm after five eminent figures, including a Labour peer and a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, acted as sureties that he will obey his bail conditions.
He will now stay on a 600-acre estate in Norfolk, subject to 10pm curfews, until he has to appear in court again, but he has not been barred from using the internet, to which he has not had access during his nine-day imprisonment.
WikiLeaks colleague Kristinn Hrafnsson said shortly after his release that Mr Assange would be able to resume his role in the organisation from there.
“We have a fairly decent internet connection there. We will keep on operating as we have done before. WikiLeaks has many members and we have never all been in the same place.”
The decision to release him was taken by Mr Justice Ouseley shortly before 1pm, although over four hours elapsed while his five guarantors – journalist Sir Phillip Knightley; publisher Felix Dennis; Nobel prize winner Sir John Sulston; former Labour minister Lord Evans and Prof Patricia David – hurried to sign the necessary papers.
The release on bail was given despite the objection of the crown prosecution service, which had objected on behalf of the Swedish authorities to a decision by Westminster magistrates on Monday to authorise the release.
Mr Assange, who is wanted in Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual molestation, said he wanted “to protest my innocence in this matter and [to] reveal as we get it – we have not yet – the evidence from those allegations”.
Claiming that there was “a real risk” that he would flee, barrister Gemma Lindfield, representing the Swedish public prosecutor, said Mr Assange lived a nomadic life and had no ties in the UK, while those now acting as sureties had not known him very long.
Firmly rejecting the argument, Mr Justice Ouseley said Mr Assange’s solicitors had been in touch with the Metropolitan Police shortly after he had arrived in the UK and after the existence of the Swedish allegations were known, telling them of his location.
Mr Justice Ouseley noted that there were “two views” being taken in Sweden about the strength of the allegations against him, given that the first prosecutor who had looked at the file believed that there was no case to answer.
Meanwhile, it has emerged – despite Ms Lindfield’s arguments on behalf of the Swedish authorities – that they had not asked for the appeal to be lodged to the Westminster magistrate’s decision to release him on bail.
The decision to do that was taken by the crown prosecution service, although the CPS last night said that an appeal was automatically lodged in such cases.
However, it has fuelled the suspicions of Mr Assange’s supporters that he is being harassed.
Mr Assange said last night that his lawyers had heard rumours he had been indicted in the US.
The New York Timesreported that federal prosecutors were looking for evidence Mr Assange had conspired with a former US army intelligence analyst suspected of leaking classified documents in order to bring charges against him.