British court grants bail for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

PanARMENIAN.Net - A British court today granted bail for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, dismissing an appeal from prosecutors. Mr. Assange is wanted for questioning on allegations of rape and sexual assault in Sweden committed last August.

The Guardian reported this morning that "Justice Duncan Ouseley agreed with a decision by the City of Westminister earlier in the week to release Assange on strict conditions," including giving up his passport, wearing an electronic tracking device, and checking in with a local police station nightly.

A British judge on Tuesday had granted Assange release from jail on bail of $310,000, though less than two hours later, an appeal announcement indicated that Assange would remain in custody for at least another 48 hours, the Associated Press reported.

Mr. Assange must return to the court for full extradition hearing on Jan. 11.

The 39-year-old Australian native turned himself over to British authorities last week, although he denies the Swedish sexual assault charges against him.

WikiLeaks has fueled an international outcry with the release of sensitive information from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and most recently is in the process of releasing thousands of secret US diplomatic cables, csmonitor.com reported.