Court: Assange Will Be Freed
WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange was granted bail by a London court Thursday, meaning he is free to leave jail until his next scheduled court hearing in January.
The exact timing of his release will depend on the speed of the paperwork, his lawyer Mark Stephens said in a statement outside the court, adding that he hoped Assange would be free later Thursday.
Assange's mother, Christine, said after the ruling that she could "not wait" to see him "and to hold him close."
"I had faith that the British justice system would do the right thing... and that faith has been confirmed," she said outside the court.
Assange, 39, handed himself over to police in London last week. He was sought because Swedish prosecutors want to question him about sex charges unrelated to WikiLeaks.
A judge granted him bail on Tuesday, but lawyers representing Sweden immediately filed an appeal, keeping Assange behind bars until the High Court judge decided on the Swedish appeal.
Assange won the appeal Thursday.
He must stay at the mansion of a supporter outside London, report to the police daily, wear an electronic tag to monitor his location, and put up 200,000 pounds (about $310,000) in bail money, plus two further 20,000-pound sureties (about $31,500 each), the judge ruled.
Judge Duncan Ouseley said he did not regard Assange as a fugitive and there was no concrete evidence to believe he would abscond.
Assange "clearly has some desire to clear his name," the judge said, adding that if he failed to appear in court, the "charges would always be hanging over his head."
Assange has the potential to flee, Ouseley found, but said if he did so, it would "diminish him in the eyes of his supporters."
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