Court denies bail to Wiki leaks founder Julian Assange

Wiki-leaks founder Julian Assange should not be freed on bail while he waits for the United States to launch an appeal to extradite him, a British judge has ruled.

The decision means the WikiLeaks founder will remain to be held in Belmarsh Prison in London, where he has been detained for more than a year.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser, who also ruled this week that the 49-year-old should not be sent back to the US, rejected the bail request on Wednesday, saying there were still just grounds to believe he could escape.

She cited Assange's track record as one such reason, including the time he famously skipped bail in 2012 while awaiting a decision on another extradition request, including Sweden. In this case, Assange sought asylum with Ecuador and ultimately spent the next seven years being in the embassy building in London.

He was eventually evicted in April 2019 after relations with Ecuadorian officials grew sour, resulting in his arrest and transport to Belmarsh - where he remains to this day.

Baraitser also referred to WikiLeaks' role in helping US whistleblower Edward Snowden seek asylum in Russia after he drooled secret documents detailing monitoring operations by the US National Security Agency (NSA).

She added that Assange still maintained "huge support networks" that could be utilized should he be released and choose to "go to ground" again.

WikiLeaks is said to have played a large role in helping US whistleblower Edward Snowden seek asylum in Russia.

Lawyers representing the US are hoping to obtain Australian-born Assange to face 17 charges of espionage and one of computer misuse in relation to publishing classified military documents from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

On Monday, judge Baraitser blocked an initial request, citing concerns for Assange's mental health and the likelihood of him taking his own life in a super-security prison. The US is now making an appeal, with 14 days to do so.

Assange's lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, had banked on the earlier decision to sway the bail hearing in their favor, highlighting his client's mental health issues, such as suicidal ideation again, and diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and depression. There is evidence, too, that Assange had previously made plans for the end of his life.

The conditions at Belmarsh were further brought into question, such as the levels of COVID-19 seen at the facility and how lockdowns had prevented family visits. Assange is father to two children with his partner, Stella Moris.

The prevailing arguments, nonetheless, came from Clair Dobbin, the British agent acting for the US, who said Assange had proven he would go "to almost any length" to evade justice, showing out that Mexico had offered him asylum.