British Judge: WikiLeaks' Assange Can Be Extradited

Julian Assange lost his fight against extradition to Sweden to face a sex-crimes inquiry after a British judge dismantled the WikiLeaks founder's claims that he would not face a fair trial there.

In London, Judge Howard Riddle said the allegations of rape and sexual molestation by two women against Assange meet the definition of extraditable offenses and said the Swedish warrant had been properly issued and was valid.

Assange, 39, a key figure in the release of tens of thousands of secret U.S. government and military documents, has been out on bail during the extradition fight. His legal team has seven days to appeal the ruling to the High Court, a process that could take months.

Following three days of testimony earlier this month, Riddle concluded that "there is simply no reason to believe there has been a mistake" about the European Arrest Warrant issued by Swedish authorities.

The final line of the judge's 28-page ruling read: "I must order that Mr. Assange be extradited to Sweden."

Riddle said the arrest warrant is valid and that Assange would get a fair trial in Sweden, despite the country's custom of hearing rape cases behind closed doors. He noted that the alleged crimes of unlawful sex would be serious offenses in the U.K. and said Assange had tried to avoid interrogation before he left Sweden.

Assange's legal team had expressed concern that he could be sent to the U.S. for prosecution and possible execution, but the judge said this is unlikely and that any such extradition would need to be approved by both Swedish and U.K. authorities.

Riddle also said it was wrong for the defense to raise the question of a possible extradition to the U.S. or the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, given the absence of any evidence that Assange risks torture or execution.

The Swedish case stems from charges of sexual misconduct made against Assange by two women after he visited Sweden last August. Lawyers for Sweden have argued that authorities made repeated attempts to interview Assange while he was in Scandinavia, to no avail.

In Sweden, Claes Borgstrom, the lawyer representing the two women, said the decision had been expected.

"It's just too bad that it took so long," Borgstrom said. "[Assange] will probably appeal this decision for some reason that is hard to understand. He claims that he hasn't committed a crime so he should just come here and sort it out. I expect that he will be on Swedish soil before the summer."

About a dozen WikiLeaks and Assange supporters in ski hats and parkas gathered outside the court hours before the hearing on a damp morning, hanging banners and signs saying "Free Julian Assange and Bradley Manning," the young U.S. Army private suspected of leaking the documents.

Larry Miller reported from London for this story, which contains material from The Associated Press.