WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Granted Bail by British Court

On Tuesday, he was granted bail on condition he provide a security of £200,000 ($318,000) to the court, with two sureties -- where third parties guarantee to pay the court if he absconds -- of a further £20,000 ($32,000) each. He will also have to obey a curfew at an address in Suffolk, wear an electronic tag and report to a local police station every evening. He was further required to give up his passport.

Appearing for the Swedish authorities, Gemma Lindfield argued that Assange should not be given bail as the rape charges were serious and there was a real possibility of Assange taking flight. "This is not a case about WikiLeaks, rather a case about alleged serious offenses against two women," she said.

Since his arrest last week, Assange's predicament has polarized the world. Many celebrities have jumped to his defense, including, most recently, the American film director Michael Moore, who offered $20,000 yesterday as a surety for Assange.

Over the weekend, a leading communist newspaper in China -- as well as the Russian government -- argued that Assange should be awarded the Nobel Prize for the information leaked by his whistle-blowing website. He also won the most votes in Time magazine's Person of the Year poll. And a CNN poll taken Monday found that half of Britons believe that the sex charges against Assange are "an excuse" to keep him in custody so that the U.S. government can prosecute him for releasing secret diplomatic cables earlier this month.

Others hold a different opinion. Several prominent American politicians have labeled Assange a terrorist, calling for prosecution on charges of espionage and, in some extreme cases, demanding the death penalty if he is convicted.

For its part, the British daily the Independent reports that the government is preparing for a crippling attack on its websites in retaliation for Assange's arrest. In the past week, a group calling itself Anonymous has hacked the websites of Mastercard, Visa and Sarah Palin's PAC.

Assange will remain in solitary confinement at Wandsworth Prison until his entire bail has been raised and the appeal by Swedish authorities is resolved. According to his lawyer, Mark Stephens, this means that he could be held in custody for several more days.

A full extradition hearing is scheduled for Jan. 11.