Assange Can Be Extradited to Sweden, Judge Rules

The WikiLeaks founder has seven days to appeal the decision.

Julian Assange is now in a tight spot. A British judge has determined that he should be extradited to Sweden to face sex crimes allegations against him, throwing out his legal team’s arguments that Swedish authorities could hand him over to U.S. officials eager to prosecute him for his organization’s publication of secret diplomatic documents. Lawyers for Swedish prosecutors said there are no plans to extradite him to the U.S. and that he would be protected from facing the death penalty there. The judge’s ruling came after a short hearing in a London court two weeks ago, but it could be sometime before it is enforced because Assange plans to appeal, a process that could take months.