British judge grants bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

[Robb]

Source: MSNBC

LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, arrested in Britain on Swedish allegations of sex crimes, was granted bail Thursday by a British judge.

Assange appeared in a packed central London courtroom on Tuesday to fight his extradition to Sweden in a sex-crimes investigation.

Assange supporters rallied in an effort to prove to the judge that the controversial activist would not flee the U.K. if granted bail.

Vaughn Smith, the director of the Frontline Club journalism organization which had been housing Assange before his arrest, offered the court assurances that the WikiLeaks founder could stay at his 10-bedroom estate, which he said is within one mile of a police station, NBC News' Peter Alexander tweeted from the courtroom.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40654227/ns/us_news-wikileaks_in_security/

---

BUT Assange will remain in jail at least another 48 hours, per the BBC, as the prosecution has lodged an appeal against the granting of bail.

[cali]

1. thank goodness.

[nenagh]

3. Yes, thank goodness... and thank you..

[madmax]

2. Yay!!!!!!!!!!

[lunatica]

4. Michael Moore contributed to the bail

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x6102

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x5728

[No Elephants]

77. MM may get it wrong or right, but his motivations never seem evil.

[maddezmom]

5. BBC reporting: passport must remain with police, he must wear an electronic tag

and subject to a curfew.

[harvey007]

6. Good news!

Journalists worldwide are supporting him.

http://frontlineclub.com/

[maddezmom]

7. Prosecution to appeal bail, they have 2 hours and Assange will remain in custody until

they go back to appeal.

[maddezmom]

8. if appeal is granted to the High court it will be heard within 48 hours

and he would remain in custody...according to reporter on BBC.

[dipsydoodle]

10. If tney did reverse the decision

I think an immediate appeal would be made to the EU Court of Human Rights and so he stay here for the time being anyway.

[iandhr]

11. The human rights court is not a EU court

The court is of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France which has 47 member states instead of the 27 that are in the EU

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Court_of_Human_Rights

[dipsydoodle]

20. Yes - I meant that one

and his next step here is in effect our highest court.

[iandhr]

12. also to go to the Human rights court you have to...

...exhaust domestic remedies. So Assange would have to appeal to the highest court in the British system before the human rights court can here the case.

[dipsydoodle]

9. This may have some bearing on the subject

Whitehall is preparing for a crippling attack on government websites as evidence mounts that the backlash against the arrest of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is rapidly growing into a mass movement that aims to cause widespread disruption on the internet.

Extra security measures have been added to a host of government web services, in particular those used to claim benefits or provide tax information, after Sir Peter Ricketts, the national security adviser, warned permanent secretaries across all departments that "hacktivists" who last week targeted the sites of companies such as MasterCard and PayPal could switch their focus to Britain.

Downing Street officials confirmed they are preparing for a court appearance today by Mr Assange, who remains in custody following his arrest on sex allegations at the request of the Swedish authorities, to be used by hackers as an excuse to switch their focus to key cyber infrastructure such as the website of HM Revenue and Customs. Members of the online collective Anonymous have already signalled their willingness to attack UK targets if Mr Assange – who denies the claims and whose lawyers will today apply for bail – is extradited to Sweden.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/online/prepare-for-allout-cyber-war-2159567.html

Wheels within wheels.

[Kaleko]

62. I like the sound of 'mass movement'.

Yes, a massive soul movement of the human collective to throw off the parasites. That rings some major bells around the world.

:)

[Boudica the Lyoness]

13. I am not surprised

He's in the safest place he can be. In the US he would never see the light of day again.

Has anyone heard any more about this?

"A major story brewing is the cruel, inhumane treatment - torture - to which Bradley Manning is being subjected: more to come shortly". Glenn Greenwald.

[Ruperto31]

21. Britain is the "safest place?" Tell that to David Kelly.

Oh, right, you can't. He's dead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_David_Kelly

[Boudica the Lyoness]

23. And I suppose you know what exactly happened to him

But wait...it just occurred to me..you are thinking that I think that nothing bad ever happens to anyone ever in the UK. No one ever dies... there are no murders or any troubles of any kind.

No, I think that Assange would be proper fucked if he ever made it to the good old USA or even Sweden by the looks of it.

Assange in the spot light in England = GOOD

Assange at Gitmo, or anywhere in the US = BAD

[Ruperto31]

58. No, but I wonder. Then there was Georgi Markov.

He wasn't so safe in Britain.

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Notorious-Umbrella-Assassination-of-Georgi-Markov-The-Chain-Of-Suspicion

Same with Alexander Litvinenko.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvinenko

Don't get me wrong. The US is a dangerous sewer, but the UK isn't so hot, either.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

65. Well I guess we'll just wait and see what they do with Assange.

Lets hope he doesn't end up in the US.

[Nihil]

76. Yep, it's a bugger trying to stop world powers playing spy vs. spy in third party countries.

Just ask Sweden how their prosecution of the active US spies is going.

[iandhr]

14. British Court Frees Founder of WikiLeaks on Bail

Source: NY TIMES

LONDON — After a week in detention facing possible extradition, Julian Assange, the founder of the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group, was released on $310,000 bail by a court on Tuesday as he challenges a Swedish prosecutor’s demand for his extradition to face questioning about alleged sex offenses.

Judge Howard Riddle ordered that Mr. Assange appear again in court on Jan. 11. He also said that, between then and now he must reside at Ellingham Hall, a Georgian mansion in Bungay, eastern England, owned by Vaughan Smith, the founder of the Frontline Club, which is used mainly by journalists. Mr. Assange must spend every night at the mansion and will be electronically tagged so that police can track his movements, the judge said.

Additionally, he will be under curfew between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. and between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day and will be required to report daily to the police between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.. His passport is already with the police and, under the terms of his bail, he is not permitted to try to travel abroad.

A British lawyer acting for Swedish authorities had opposed bail saying nothing had changed since it was denied one week ago.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/world/europe/15assange.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1292342456-eoGpXS2b4JrhSzAezTXHGA

---

I guess the tag thing takes care of the flight risk problem

[xchrom]

15. Recommend

[Ruperto31]

22. Sweden will not give up on this.

Mr. Assange put his unclothed penis where it didn't belong. Like any good restaurant, Ms. Ardin has a dress code. Entry in the nude is strictly prohibited, and disrobing after entry is grounds for incarceration. :)

[Uncle Joe]

16. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Robb.

[AlabamaLibrul]

17. UK court grants bail to WikiLeaks' Julian Assange

Source: Associated Press

LONDON – A British judge granted bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday, but he remained in custody pending a possible appeal.

Swedish authorities were given two hours to lodge an appeal and their lawyer, Gemma Lindfield, said it was likely she would.

The 39-year-old Australian has been held in a London prison for a week after surrendering to Scotland Yard due to a Swedish arrest warrant in a sex-crimes investigation. He denies wrongdoing and his lawyer says he plans to fight extradition.

At Tuesday's hearing, District Judge Howard Riddle said Assange must abide by strict bail conditions. He must wear an electronic tag, live at a registered address, report to police every evening and observe two four-hour curfews each day.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101214/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_wikileaks_assange

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

18. Yay! recommended. n/t

[bobthedrummer]

19. k&r

[barbtries]

24. good news

i hope he has a variety of safe harbors in which to stay

[Ghost Dog]

25. Julian Assange's court appeal: (Decision challenged. Appeal within 48 hrs)

Source: Guardian


Julian Assange's court appeal - Twitter updates from Sam Jones

Auto update every minute On | Off

* swajones

swajones: Decision challenged. Appeal within 48 hrs

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2010/dec/14/wikileaks-julian-assange-court-appeal-live-updates?CMP=twt_gu

[SugarShack]

26. so does he get to stay out for the 48 hours until the appeal?

[Ghost Dog]

27. I gather, he remains in custody. Confirmed at Guardian's front page:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

[Lucinda]

29. That was an odd bit about his broken tooth being stolen

"...Stephens, visited him in Wandsworth prison yesterday afternoon, and said his client was being held under harsher conditions than last week. He claimed Assange was being confined to his cell for all but half an hour a day, and denied association with others prisoners, access to the library or TV.

Stephens also claimed a number of letters to Assange from media organisations had not reached the WikiLeaks founder. He said Assange was under 24-hour video surveillance and had complained that a tooth that broke off while he was eating had later been stolen from his cell."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/14/julian-assange-wikileaks

[Jefferson23]

28. Squash that threat at any cost...funny how we don't see this kind of muscle ever

applied here to Bush/Cheney.

[No Passaran]

30. Assange granted bail, but Sweden appeals

Source: CNN Breaking News

London (CNN) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was granted bail Tuesday after a hearing at Westminster Magistrate's Court in London, but a lawyer representing Swedish prosecutors immediately filed an appeal.

That means Assange will remain in jail for another 48 hours, until the next hearing.

The 39-year-old Australian handed himself over to London police last week to answer a European arrest warrant over alleged sex crimes in Sweden.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/14/uk.assange.hearing/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

[qb]

31. Apparently someone in Sweden just got a memo from the US State Department

earlier story:
Sweden will not appeal
http://www.english.rfi.fr/node/64805

[The Backlash Cometh]

32. I don't think we'll ever see this country in the same way.

[Name removed]

Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Backlash Cometh]

42. We need to be prepared. To question too hard will elicit the following response:

America, love it or leave it.

[Name removed]

47. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Backlash Cometh]

48. We are entering into a police state.

Scalia opened the door for them.

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Backlash Cometh]

54. Stop and frisk without search warrants.

Allowed in designated high crime areas. Those crime areas are determined by police statistics. Ergo, policy has an influence on statistical results.

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Backlash Cometh]

61. I believe there is an impeachment process.

Don't know more than that.

[24601]

63. Stop and frisk by long-standing court precedent is not a full search

and requires only reasonable suspicion. A full search requires the higher standard of probable cause.

The case on point is Terry v. Ohio (1968). http://law.jrank.org/pages/13012/Terry-v-Ohio.html

[The Backlash Cometh]

66. It's the "high crime area" designation which is suspect.

I don't think you would have stop and frisk at all, in the more upscaled areas of a city. Those with access to good lawyers would put a stop to it.

[defendandprotect]

33. Wow ... the link isn't working, but get the idea .... Sweden doing dirty work for US ....

[qb]

34. LOL... the link worked 10 minutes ago.

down the memory hole.

[dipsydoodle]

44. Works ok in the UK

I just tried it.

[defendandprotect]

55. Still getting an "error 404" msg on it -- may be our frigid weather here in NE ????

Will check back later --

:)

[guruoo]

37. They've scrubbed that story -proof here

404 Sorry, the page you requested was not found, Click here to return to RFI.FR


Another page, appairently scrubbed:
http://www.english.rfi.fr/sweden-will-not-challenge-assange-bail

Google headline summary:
Sweden will not challenge Assange bail - RFI in English
Sweden will not challenge Assange bail. Swedish authorities said Tuesday ...
www.english.rfi.fr/sweden-will-not-challenge-assange-bail

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=Sweden+will+not+challenge+British+court%27s&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[guruoo]

45. Near as I can tell, rfi.fr was the only site reporting that story...

I suspect we'll be hearing more about it, as there are lot of tweets pointing to it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/contact-us

[Ghost Dog]

64. I don't find anything other than tweets on this, googling from here, except (in French)

Romandie News

Assange update: Sweden will not challenge British court s decision to grant bail http://rfi.my/eTAnMH

Remarque importante à nos lecteurs : cette dépêche provient d’un flux anglophone d’alertes. Elle a été sélectionnée par Romandie.com à cause de sa rapidité de livraison. Un développement ultérieur de cette dépêche sera probablement disponible en français d’ici quelques minutes.

(14 décembre 2010)

http://www.romandie.com/ats/news/bba118541a822d8ff82297d8351dc9b4BreakingNews.asp

It says they elected to publish the tweets because of their rapid flow. It says they expect to publish an update within a few minutes.

[defendandprotect]

56. Aha ... thought maybe our weather here in NE .... will be back to catch up with all of this ....

AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS!!

:)

[Ghost Dog]

60. 404 Sorry, the page you requested was not found, Click here to return to RFI.FR

[tomm2thumbs]

35. Uh, hello - the files are already out there...

the more they do to hash and re-hash the Sweden angle is only going to draw even MORE attention from the world about this case. If the US Govt wants to keep a lid on it, they are going about it in the wrong way. Come to think of it, it does not surprise me. These are the same types that try to stop movies from being released that undermine their interests by protesting their release, only to drive MORE viewers into the theaters to witness the movie in the long run.

Keep drawing attention to this story Sweden.

You're doing a heckuva a job.

[tcaudilllg]

36. As it stands, Sweden is an enemy of freedom.

[Bragi]

38. Regrettably, so isn the Obama administration

Since they are actually running this campaign and just using Sweden to try to silence Assange.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheMadMonk]

72. Answer the question of why Sweden allowed the transhipment of prisoners...

...on its soil, for extraordinary rendition to countries such as Egypt and a number of 'Stans and you might just answer that one too.

[dipsydoodle]

46. Well Sweden don't fucking appeal to me.

Tossers. :(

[Name removed]

52. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[No Passaran]

39. Assange granted bail, but Sweden appeals

This thread has been combined with another thread.

Click here to read this message in its new location.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

50. Missing Little White Girl 2.0?

Does "a packed central London courtroom" equate to "The people are represented?"

Does the fact that "Assange supporters rallied" present an existential threat? Or is it "soothing?"

so many questions...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

51. Balloon Boy 2.0?

:shrug:

[Nihil]

73. Fox News 2.0?

:shrug:

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[defendandprotect]

57. When did US last have "any credibility in the world" to lose???

Sad to say .... !!!

[Odin2005]

67. YAY!

[truthisfreedom]

68. Why do they insist on calling him the Wikileaks founder?

He's the editor. It was, as I understand, founded by a group from China.

[Nihil]

74. Certain memes stick.

"Wikileaks founder"

"rape"

"traitor"

"endangering US soldiers"

All bullshit. All put out with the sole aim of smearing the truth being revealed.

[Swagman]

69. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange granted bail by UK court, but in jail pending appeal

Source: News.com.au

JULIAN Assange has won his battle for bail, but he is not a free man just yet.

Swedish prosecutors announced they would appeal against the ruling, meaning Mr Assange could remain in custody for at least another two days.

An appeal is expected to be heard at the High Court within the next 48 hours.

Magistrate Howard Riddle had today agreed to bail, subject to conditions including £240,000 in sureties and a requirement that Mr Assange lives with his journalist friend Vaughn Smith on his 600 acre estate in Bungay, Suffolk.

He must also wear an electronic tag, surrender his passport and not apply for international travel, and obey a curfew.

There was some confusion over whether prosecutors would appeal the decision with Assange supporters initially told they wouldn't.

However, journalists and lawyers were called back into court to learn that an appeal would definitely take place.

Mr Assange has been held on remand in London since last week after Sweden requested his arrest over allegations that he sexually assaulted two women, claims he denies.

His layer Mark Stephens said the decision to appeal was an unfortunate state of affairs and that his client's case was being turned into a show trial.

"We have heard Sweden wants to put Mr Assange through more trouble expense and hurdles," he said outside court after the appeal had been made.





Read more: http://www.news.com.au/features/wikileaks/wikileaks-founder-julain-assange-granted-bail-by-uk-court/story-fn79cf6x-1225971236897#ixzz18D2fOx6N

---

Outrageous.

[fascisthunter]

70. sick

[Tanelorn]

71. I noticed that the so called 'Honeymoon Killer' Watson was also

granted bail today. Around $180000 and restrictions. 
But then I guess murder is a lot less serious than the
peoples' right to know. 

[Nihil]

75. No-one cares what Watson has to say - he hasn't embarrassed the powers that be.

> But then I guess murder is a lot less serious than the peoples' right to know.

Murder is also involved in ensuring that the people don't get a "right to know".

[No Elephants]

78. If I were Assange, I would feel no safer outside jail than I did inside.