Sweden to Appeal Julian Assange’s Bail

The WikiLeaks founder was granted bail by a U.K. court yesterday but will remain in prison while Swedish prosecutors launch an appeal.

Under the terms of his bail, Assange was ordered to pony up £200,000, surrender his passport, obey a curfew, and be monitored by an electronic tag. But that wasn’t enough for Swedish prosecutors who are seeking his extradition to Stockholm to face sex crimes charges. They immediately announced they would appeal the decision, and Assange will stay behind bars at least until they make their case before the courts on Thursday. It’s hard to see how Assange would be a flight risk under the strict bail conditions, and the fact that the crimes he’s accused of have never been used as grounds for extradition are fueling speculation that Sweden’s aggressive prosecution is politically motivated.