Julian Assange Goes Free

Julian Assange walked out of a British courtroom a free man today, after a lengthy court hearing to work out the logistics of his bail. “It's great to smell the fresh air of London again,” Assange told the gathered reporters, adding that, “If justice is not always the outcome, at least it is not dead yet.” He vowed to protest his innocence “as we get, which we have not yet, the evidence from these allegations.”

British and Swedish prosecutors had argued that Assange was a flight risk. But the judge noted that soon after arriving in Britain, Assange had his lawyers contact police about the case. “That is not the conduct of a person who is seeking to evade justice,” he said. As a condition of his bail, Assange will have to check in regularly with British police, the Guardian reports. (More Julian Assange stories.)