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International News Title: Wikileaks' Assange Granted Bail by U.K. Judge Overseeing Extradition Fight Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Julian Assange, founder of the WikiLeaks whistleblower website, was granted bail by the U.K. judge overseeing his extradition fight with Sweden over allegations of rape and molestation. Assange, 39, will be released after posting bail of 240,000 pounds ($378,480), Judge Howard Riddle said at a hearing today. Assange’s lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson, said Assange would stay with a friend in Suffolk, north east of London, to address Riddle’s concerns at a hearing last week that his client was a flight risk. “Last week, he didn’t have a verified address; this week he does,” Riddle said. “It has been dealt with comprehensively and entirely satisfactorily.” Assange must also turn in his passport, remain in the home eight hours a day, wear an electronic tag and report to police daily. Assange turned himself in to U.K. authorities after Swedish police issued a warrant on one count of unlawful coercion, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of rape allegedly committed in August, police said. Prosecutors said the allegations involved claims about the use of a condom. “We doubt whether this actual category of rape would be rape under English law,” Robertson said. WikiLeaks WikiLeaks gained prominence after it released U.S. military documents, including a video of a July 2007 helicopter attack in Iraq that killed a Reuters television cameraman and his driver. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Nov. 29 that the Justice Department was conducting an investigation into the release of government documents, saying such leaks put lives at risk. About 200 protesters were outside court in London today, demanding that Assange not be extradited. Gemma Lindfield, a lawyer for the U.K. government, urged Riddle today to deny bail, saying that “nothing has changed in the last week.” She also said the case “isn’t about WikiLeaks.” Lindfield said she may appeal the bail ruling. The arrest warrant was sought by prosecutor Marianne Ny, who started her investigation on Sept. 1 after a Stockholm-based prosecutor dropped the rape charge and reduced the molestation charges. A lawyer for the two alleged victims appealed that decision. Mark Stephens, another lawyer for Assange, said his client has tried repeatedly to meet with the Swedish prosecutor when he was in Sweden and that she hasn’t directly provided evidence against him, such as text messages between the two alleged victims. Stephens said the Swedish case may be politically motivated due to the WikiLeaks disclosures. Created in 2006, WikiLeaks receives confidential material and posts it online “so readers and historians alike can see evidence of the truth,” according to its website. Stephens regularly represents media organizations, including Bloomberg News.
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