Mexico on January 4 said it was ready to offer political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, after a British judge blocked his extradition to the US to face espionage charges.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters: “I’m going to ask [foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard] to carry out the relevant procedures to request that the UK government releases Mr Assange and that Mexico offers him political asylum.”

The leader welcomed the British court’s rejection of the US request to extradite the 49-year-old Australian publisher due to the risk of suicide, calling it a “triumph of justice”.

He said: “Assange is a journalist and deserves a chance.”

Lopez Obrador said Mexico would ensure “that whoever receives asylum does not intervene or interfere in the political affairs of any country”.

Mexico has welcomed many political asylum-seekers over the years, from Nicaraguan anti-imperialist hero Cesar Augusto Sandino to Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and, more recently, former Bolivian president Evo Morales.

Academic and foreign relations expert Adolfo Laborde said: “Mexico has a long history of offering asylum.”

Whether Assange joins the list would depend on political pressures and the stances of the various actors and countries with an interest in his fate, Laborde said.

Assange is wanted on 18 charges in the US relating to the 2010 release by WikiLeaks of 500,000 secret files detailing aspects of military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

If convicted in Mexico’s northern neighbour, he faces up to 175 years in jail.

Lopez Obrador’s relations with Biden had already got off to a rocky start as he was one of the last high-profile leaders to congratulate him on his victory, saying he wanted to wait until legal disputes were resolved.

Activists held a protest in front of the British embassy in Mexico City after the court decision, demanding Assange be released.