WikiLeaks to step up publishing: Assange

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made a brief appearance in a U.K. court Tuesday as he continued his fight to avoid extradition to Sweden.

The 39-year-old Australian told reporters gathered outside London's Belmarsh magistrates' court that he was pleased with the outcome of Tuesday's procedural hearing and vowed to keep publishing secret documents.

"We are happy about today's outcome," Assange said after his court appearance.

He said he has asked the court to make a draft document outlining his defence available to the media.

He also said that WikiLeaks' work continues "unabated," noting that the organization is "stepping up our publishing for matters related to Cablegate and other materials."

WikiLeaks has published thousands of classified documents, including documents related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and reams of U.S. diplomatic documents.

Tuesday's hearing was over quickly, with lawyers for both sides saying they were on track for Assange's next court appearance on Feb. 7.

Swedish authorities want to question Assange in connection with sexual assault allegations.

Assange denies the allegations against him. His bail was renewed and the conditions unchanged, except that he'll be allowed to stay in London during his two-day hearing in February to cut down travel time.

Assange must report to police daily, wear an electronic monitoring device and stay at the manor of one of his supporters outside London as part of his bail conditions.

Assange said Tuesday that more documents will be appearing shortly with the help of newspaper partners around the world.

The WikiLeaks boss and his supporters say the sexual assault case is being prosecuted for political reasons, something denied by Swedish authorities and Assange's alleged victims.

Earlier Tuesday, WikiLeaks issued a statement condemning those who have made threats against Assange and WikiLeaks staff.