Julian Assange granted bail by UK court

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was granted bail in London today after being held without bond for a week in Wandsworth prision pending a possible extradition on a range of sex charges.

39-year-old Assange was bailed ahead of a January 11th hearing, but conditions for his release were tight: £240,000 in bond, surety from two individuals, surrender of his passport, a 10 PM curfew, and daily check-ins with police. Even if prosecutors decline to appeal the decision, it is unlikely Assange will be released this evening.

Assange’s mother told press that her son made statements prior to the hearing indicating he believes more sinister forces were at play in pursuing charges against him unrelated to Wikileaks:

Ahead of the hearing, Assange remained defiant, telling his mother from his cell that he was committed to publishing more secret US cables. “My convictions are unfaltering. I remain true to the ideals I have expressed. This circumstance shall not shake them,” Assange said, according to a written statement of his comments supplied to Australia’s Network Seven by his mother Christine.

“We now know that Visa, Mastercard, Paypal and others are instruments of US foreign policy. I am calling for the world to protect my work and my people from these illegal and immoral attacks.”

A lawyer for Assange argued that there was doubt “whether this actual category of rape would be rape under English law.”