U.K. judge to rule on U.S. extradition for WikiLeaks’ Assange

LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out Monday whether he can be extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. to face espionage charges over the publication of secret American military documents.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser is due to deliver her decision at London’s Old Bailey courthouse at 10 a.m. Monday. If she grants the request, then Britain’s home secretary, Priti Patel, would make the final decision.

Whichever side loses is expected to appeal, which could lead to years more legal wrangling.

However, there’s a possibility that outside forces could instantly end the decadelong saga.

Stella Moris, Assange’s partner and the mother of his two sons, has appealed to President Donald Trump via Twitter to grant a pardon to Assange before he leaves office Jan. 20.

And even if Trump doesn’t, there’s speculation that his successor, Joe Biden, may take a more lenient approach to Assange’s extradition process.

Prosecutors indicted the 49-year-old on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse that carry a maximum sentence of 175 years.

Assange’s defense team argued that he is entitled to First Amendment protections for the

publication of leaked documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the U.S. extradition request was politically motivated.

In their written closing arguments, Assange’s legal team accused the U.S. of an “extraordinary, unprecedented and politicized” prosecution that constitutes “a flagrant denial of his right to freedom of expression and poses a fundamental threat to the freedom of the press throughout the world.”

Defense lawyers also said Assange was suffering from mental health issues that could be exacerbated if he is placed in inhospitable prison conditions.