Assange gets bail,Sweden to appeal

A British judge granted Julian Assange bail but the WikiLeaks founder will remain in custody.

A British judge granted Julian Assange bail on Tuesday but the WikiLeaks founder will remain in custody for at least another 48 hours after Swedish prosecutors said they would challenge the decision.

Swedish authorities had two hours to lodge an appeal against the bail decision and their lawyer,Gemma Lindfield,said she would. An appeal would have to be heard by Britains High Court within 48 hours.

The 39-year-old Australian has been held in a London prison for a week since surrendering to Scotland Yard due to a Swedish arrest warrant in a sex-crimes investigation. He denies wrongdoing. One of Assanges lawyers,Mark Stephens,said the court was demanding 200,000 in bail up front before Assange could be freed.

At Tuesdays hearing,District Judge Howard Riddle said Assange would have to wear an electronic tag,live at a registered address,report to the police every evening and observe two four-hour curfews each day. A total of 240,000 has been promised as a guarantee by several supporters,including filmmaker Michael Moore.

Its impossible to say how long it will take to raise the money,Stephens said outside City of Westminster Magistrates Court. Whatever happens,Assange will have to stay behind bars.

Assanges next court appearance was set for January 11,ahead of a full hearing on February 7 and 8. Lindfield,acting on behalf of Swedish authorities,had asked the court to deny Assange bail because the allegations in Sweden were serious,Assange had only weak ties to Britain and he had enough money to abscond.

Another Assange lawyer,Geoffrey Robertson,said Vaughn Smith,founder of the Frontline Club,a London journalism venue,had offered to put up Assange in his country mansion close to a police station.

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Assanges mother Christine gave a huge smile as the judge announced his decision. Assange remained defiant in comments from prison relayed Tuesday by his mother earlier. Australias Seven network said that Christine Assange spoke to her son for 10 minutes. My convictions are unfaltering, the network quoted Julian Assange as saying.