The thriller that was WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange’s arrest warrant, imprisonment and court hearing, bail and appeal against bail came to an end with his release in the evening of December 16, 2010.
“It’s great to smell fresh air of London again,” said a relieved Assange as he stepped out of Westminster Magistrates Court. Julian Assange thanked “all the people around the world” who had faith in him and supported his team, he thanked his lawyers and the people who provided money in the face of great difficulty and aversion. He also thanked the press and the British justice system itself: “If it’s not always the outcome, justice is not dead yet,” he said.
After his release on bail Assange reflected on those people around the world who are, like he has been, on solitary confinement and on remand in conditions more difficult than those faced by him: “Those people also need your attention and support.” Assange said that he will continue his work and go on protesting his innocence in the matter of sexual assault allegations brought against him in Sweden.
Bail Conditions
Although the Crown Prosecution Service was against the bail arguing that Julian Assange was likely to abscond, the judge concluded that Assange’s conduct was not one that of a person who is seeking to flee. The bail conditions were £200,000 cash deposit with a further £40,000 guaranteed in two sureties of £20,000. There are also strict conditions of movement put in place.
The five sureties are former journalist and author Philip Knightley, magazine publisher Felix Dennis, former Labour minister and Faber & Faber publishing house chairman Lord Matthew Evans, Nobel Prize winner Sir John Sulston, and Professor Patricia David.
Bail or No Bail
In a statement issued on 16 December 2010 the Crown Prosecution said that it had acted as agent for the Swedish Government in the Assange case when it appealed against the Assange’s release on bail. However, the High Court judge Mr Justice Ouseley upheld the decision of the City of Westminster Magistrates Court of Tuesday, December 14, to release the WikiLeaks founder on strict conditions.
Julian Assange is going to stay at Elligham Hall, a property owned by Vaughan Smith on the Norfolk-Suffolk border. Smith is the owner of London’s Frontline journalist club. In a statement on the Frontline’s website, Smith declares publicly his support for the WikiLeaks founder and confirms that he had offered him an address for bail.
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Lito Apostolakou - Lito is a historian with an interest in digital archives and online historical resources. She is the author of blog Palimpsest.
