Julian Assange is out on bail after an appeal to keep him incarcerated failed. Image: Elekhh/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA
The controversial head of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, is out on bail. A recent court hearing granted him the right to post bail and get out of jail, but an appeal was immediately filed against bail on behalf of the Swedish government. The appeal was denied, and Assange is out.
Julian Assange allowed to post bail
Recently, a court hearing in England allowed Julian Assange the right to bail, if he could post sufficient financial backing. However, Assange was not immediately released, as attorneys filed an appeal against his right to post bail on behalf of the Swedish government. The appeal was unsuccessful, however, and Assange is now out of jail, according to The Telegraph. He has been held in a London jail for the past eight days. As his status is greater than the typical drunk driver, he has been in solitary confinement. He said to the press that if “justice is not always an outcome, at least it is not dead yet.” It is rumored that the jail cell he stayed in was once occupied by writer and poet Oscar Wilde, though that hasn’t been proven.
With a little help from his friends
Assange had to rely on the posting of sureties, or pledges of money toward bail, from numerous supporters and friends. Filmmaker Michael Moore put up $20,000. There were also donations from journalist John Pilger, socialites Jemima Kahn and Bianca Jagger, according to Bloomberg. Assange had to post 200,000 pounds or about $312,000. He also had to post additional sureties and guarantees of bail money on top of the original 200,000 that he would not flee the country after posting bail.
Strict conditions of release
Though he is out of jail, Assange is not free to roam as he pleases. His passport was surrendered to the British court, as he was deemed a flight risk. He has to reside in Suffolk at the home of Vaughan Smith, a journalist and nightclub owner, at night under strict curfew. Assange also will be monitored electronically and has to check in with police every day.
