An appeal has failed today to keep the founder of the controversial WikiLeaks website in jail, with Julian Assange’s bail upheld by Britain’s High Court under strict conditions, the Guardian reported.
Assange is under an international spotlight for WikiLeaks’ latest bombshell release of 250,000 secret diplomatic cables and previous releases of hundreds of thousands of documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. But he is wanted in Sweden for questioning on allegations of rape and sexual molestation, and unlawful coercion.
Assange denies the charges and is fighting extradition to Sweden for fear he could be turned over to the United States, which has launched an ongoing criminal investigation against Assange for his release of the classified documents. Under bail conditions, Assange must surrender his passport, abide by a curfew, report every day to a police station and wear an electronic tag, in addition to payment of $380,000 -- with about $315,000 to be paid upfront in cash.
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