Assange kept in jail as Swedes appeal
The whistleblower was handed his freedom by a judge after supporters agreed to post a £200,000 (€235,000) cash deposit.
But in chaotic scenes the decision was overridden two hours later when Swedish prosecutors said they would challenge the decision.
As a result, the 39-year-old Australian returned to Wandsworth prison, in London, where he is being held in solitary confinement.
He will appear at the High Court within 48 hours where a judge will consider the appeal and whether to overturn the bail decision.
Speaking on the steps of City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court, his lawyer Mark Stephens attacked the Swedish authorities.
“Finally, after two hours, we have heard that the Swedes will not abide with the umpire’s decision and they want to put Mr Assange through yet more trouble, more expense and more hurdles.
“They clearly will not spare any expense to keep Mr Assange in jail. This is really turning into a show trial.”
Asked how Assange, who earlier gave a thumbs up to photographers from a prison van window, reacted to the news, Stephens said: “He is phlegmatic.”
The whistleblower is wanted in Sweden over claims he sexually assaulted two women during a visit to Stockholm in August.
But his supporters claim the criminal inquiry and extradition request is unfair and politically motivated.
The former computer hacker is behind the release of hundreds of US diplomatic cables that have caused global uproar.
Assange was denied bail at his first court appearance last week on the grounds he could flee the country.
The decision to appeal was the final twist in a day of extraordinary drama in the courthouse.
Supporters and journalists queued for hours to win tickets to court number one where Assange was due to appear at 2pm.
Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters besieged the building, chanting for Assange to be released and attacking the authorities in Sweden and US.
High-profile supporters including socialite Jemima Khan, novelist Tariq Ali, campaigner Bianca Jagger and film-maker Ken Loach all offered sureties.
They were joined by veteran journalist John Pilger, gay rights activist Peter Tatchell and Frontline Club founder Vaughan Smith.
Others who had pledged support and were waiting in the wings included author Hanif Kureishi and filmmaker Michael Moore.
Assange waved to his lawyer as he arrived in the packed courtroom where some were sat on the floor.
Lawyer Gemma Lindfield, on behalf of the Swedish authorities, said “nothing has changed” and Assange remains a “flight risk”.
But after an hour-long hearing, Judge Howard Riddle granted Assange bail on the condition he deposited £200,000 in cash at the court.
He also ordered that a further two sureties were given, each to the value of £20,000, and imposed strict bail conditions.
These included that Assange is electronically tagged and lives at Ellingham Hall near Bungay in Suffolk, a property in 600 acres of private grounds owned by Vaughan Smith.
Stephens warned it could still take an “inordinate” length of time to get the bail money together and joked his client could hardly use Visa or Mastercard.
The payment giants have joined a raft of international companies who suspended their support of WikiLeaks.
Warning the extradition process could take “many years,” Stephens said: “Until then we have an innocent man in Dickensian, Victorian conditions in Wandsworth jail.”
Stephens said his client could not speak to other prisoners at Wandsworth Prison and was locked up for 23 hours a day.
He added that mail was not getting through and a copy of Time magazine featuring Assange was “ripped up by the censors” and he was only given an empty envelope.
Smith said: “The Julian Assange I know has a number of qualities: he’s a very honourable person, hugely courageous, self-deprecatory — none of the things you read about.”
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