The New York
Times reported that Julian Assange, founder, spokesperson, and editor-in-chief
of Wikileaks, has been granted bail by a British court.
The ruling comes as Assange
and his attorneys continue to fight demands from Swedish prosecutors that he be
extradited to Sweden. Assange remains in detention pending an appeal by the
prosecution which is set to take place within the next 48 hours.
The Wikileaks founder has been in detention since December 7, when he responded to
a Swedish arrest warrant regarding sexual battery charges by turning himself in to British
authorities. In the subsequent hearing Assange was denied bail as a flight
risk.
A British attorney, acting on behalf of Swedish authorities, is expected to appeal the ruling. Should that appeal fail, Assange will be fixed with an
electronic tracking device and released on strict conditions including an
extensive curfew, daily meetings with law enforcement officials, and a revocation
of his passport.
Assange’s arrest, though not related to the leak of confidential documents on Wikileaks, has triggered
a call to action from Wikileaks supporters and opponents alike. Online activists and libertarians acting under the umbrella group called ‘Anonymous’ carried out a barrage of DDoS
attacks on everyone from the Swedish prosecutors trying Assange to former vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin.
