A flag is seen during a protest in front of the British embassy to demand the freedom of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, in Mexico City, on Jan 4, 2021. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP)

MEXICO CITY / SYDNEY - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday offered political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a move that could anger the United States, which is seeking his extradition.

Last Jan, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrado urged Britain to release Julian Assange, calling his detention “torture” and saying WikiLeaks documents had showed the world’s “authoritarian” workings

Celebrating a decision by a British judge on Monday to deny a request to extradite Assange to the United States, Lopez Obrador said he wanted his foreign minister to ask Britain if it could release Assange so Mexico could offer him asylum.

“Assange is a journalist and deserves a chance,” he said. “We’ll give him protection.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday that Assange is “free to return home” to Australia once legal challenges against him are resolved.

“Well, the justice system is making its way and we’re not a party to that. And like any Australian, they’re offered consular support and should, you know, the appeal fail, obviously he would be able to return to Australia like any other Australian,” Morrison told local radio station 2GB.

“So, yes, it’s just a straightforward process of the legal system in the UK working its way through.”

US authorities accuse Assange of offenses during the administration of former President Barack Obama relating to the release by WikiLeaks of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables which they say put lives at risk.

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Although the Obama administration opted not to prosecute Assange, Lopez Obrador’s offer drew criticism as an undiplomatic gesture given that Obama’s former vice president Joe Biden is about to assume the US presidency.

“Lopez Obrador seems to be making an effort to damage US relations just as Joe Biden prepares to take office,” said Mark Feierstein, a former Obama administration official.

Lopez Obrador has said he expects to have good relations with Biden as president. Still, he upset Democrats by waiting weeks to recognize Biden’s election victory over Republican President Donald Trump.

The British judge denied the US extradition request on the grounds that Assange’s mental health problems made him a suicide risk. US prosecutors are set to appeal the ruling.

A leftist who took office two years ago, Lopez Obrador has long railed against ruling elites. Casting his presidency as a radical departure from establishment politics, he has previously spoken out on behalf of Assange, 49.

Last January, he urged Britain to release Assange, calling his detention “torture” and saying WikiLeaks documents had showed the world’s “authoritarian” workings.

READ MORE: Laywer: Trump offered to pardon Assange if he provided email source

His asylum offer sent a message that Mexico would pursue an independent foreign policy under the next US government, a Mexican official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

It could also encourage Lopez Obrador to position himself as a champion of free speech, deflecting criticism that he uses his morning conferences to pillory adversaries.

Former Obama official Feierstein said it was ironic that Lopez Obrador regularly attacked Mexican journalists for trying to hold his government to account, and was now supporting one who had worked with hackers to embarrass the United States.

In November, a senior Mexican official said 2020 was the most violent year for journalists in Mexico in at least a decade, with 19 murdered.