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WikiLeaks’ founder
Julian Assange has declared that he is the victim of a smear campaign
after being freed on bail over rape allegations and sent to spend
Christmas at an English country house. The 39-year-old Australian
computer expert said that curbs on him, which he described as “hi-tech
house arrest,” would not halt the release of official secrets. Assange
walked free from a London court Thursday, freed on 200,000 pound
($312,500) bail after nine days in London’s largest jail. Sweden wants
to extradite him for questioning over alleged sexual assaults on two
WikiLeaks’ volunteers.

“This has been a
very successful smear campaign and a very wrong one,” Assange told the
BBC after arriving late Thursday at the country house in Suffolk,
eastern England where he will spend Christmas and the New Year.

He said he expected further attempted smears from the Swedish authorities but did not elaborate.

Assange angered the
U.S. authorities after his organization began releasing some of the
250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables it had obtained, teaming up with
newspapers around the world to amplify their impact.

Assange said his opponents had seized on the accusations against him to attack WikiLeaks.

“One only needs to
look at the sneering smile of Defense Secretary (Robert) Gates upon
hearing of my arrest… to understand the value to opponents of this
organization,” Assange said. Gates last week described Assange’s arrest
as good news. Assange is accused of having unprotected sex with one
woman, and sex with another while she was asleep.

“HI-TECH HOUSE ARREST”

As part of his bail
conditions, Assange must stay at the sprawling house owned by former
British army officer Vaughan Smith, situated close to the city of
Norwich, around three hours’ drive from London.

Smith has said that
the Internet connection at the house is not good. Assange, who must
report to police daily, abide by a curfew and wear an electronic tag,
said the conditions were “a gross impediment to my work” but would not
stop him.

“Now that I am back
to assist directing of our ship, our work will proceed in a faster
manner. But as we have seen with my absence, things are well set up to
proceed even without my direct involvement.” Assange told reporters
soon after his release that he was more concerned the United States
might try to extradite him than he was about being extradited to Sweden.

Assange and his
lawyers have voiced fears that U.S. prosecutors might be preparing to
indict him for espionage over WikiLeaks’ publication of the documents.

Australian police said WikiLeaks was not committing any criminal offence in Assange’s home country by releasing the U.S. cables.

Celebrities such as journalist John Pilger, film director Ken Loach and socialite Jemima Khan are backing Assange.

Janice Game, 63,
who lives opposite the Georgian house said she had come out to see
reporters waiting in the snow for Assange to drive through the gates of
the 650 acre estate.

“I do not think that Vaughan would have him at the house unless he believed completely that he was innocent,” she said.