LONDON - Time seems to be running out for Julian Assange, whose long battle to avoid extradition to Sweden for rape and cases of suspected sexual abuse seems likely to end in failure unless you can get the highest court in Britain to know the resource.
In a major setback Wednesday in the High Court in London, two British judges rejected Assange move to prevent the extradition to face questioning in Sweden. Court officials said Wednesday that Assange plans to try to take the case to the Supreme Court of Great Britain.
"It has indicated it plans to launch an appeal," said a spokesman for the Judicial Office on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give his name. Your appeal request will be rejected, making it virtually inevitable extradition.
Wednesday's ruling is the latest setback for Assange, whose secret to spill the organization is on the brink of financial ruin. The group has suspended the publication of confidential government documents that drew the ire of governments around the world due to money problems.
Assange has denied the allegations of the alleged rape of a woman and sexual abuse of another in Stockholm last year. He and his followers have continued the investigation of sexual crimes is politically motivated by those opposed to WikiLeaks.
He has deeply polarized public opinion, appear in the list of most-wanted in Europe, while in some sectors was praised as a courageous defender of freedom of expression and to challenge the power of government.
Assange did not seem angry or upset visibly out of Court in London.
"We will consider next steps in the coming days," he told reporters and supporters.
But experts said their legal options are now very limited.
"I think it is very likely going to be in Sweden before the end of the year," said Julian Knowles, an attorney involved in the extradition case.
Vaughan Smith, the owner of the mansion where he lives Assange on bail, said his friend's prospects looked bleak. "It's not good news," he said.
Smith said Assange is concerned about the impact on your organization if sent to Sweden, for fear they may be held in jail as contests of the charges against him.
"How can you run a prison WikiLeaks? You can not," said Smith. "There is good reason for him not to go to Sweden."
Assange has 14 days to decide whether to apply to the Supreme Court, then you must try to persuade the judges that there is a point of law to justify an appeal to the Supreme Court of Great Britain.
The ruling means that Assange will remain in Britain for at least several weeks and could extend his fight against extradition in the next year. Assange remains free on bail, under house arrest at Smith's farm country, hiking in southern England.
Also unclear is whether Assange have the money for a legal battle continues. In a recent dispute over his autobiography - a draft of which was published without his permission - the founder of Wikileaks revealed that he had been with their previous lawyers about the size of his bill and did not have enough money to sue their publishers.
Assange and his supporters say he is not using funds for his legal defense WikiLeaks.
Claes Borgstrom, the lawyer representing the two Swedish women accusing Assange of sexual crimes, told The Associated Press that his clients were very pleased by the ruling party.
"There is a sense of relief and is a step in the right direction," he said.
He said the long wait for the decision was difficult for their customers, adding that more delays are likely.
"A lot of points that it intends to appeal again," he said.
In its ruling, the appeal judges rejected the key arguments Assange legal team. He said Sweden had the right to issue a warrant for Assange, rejected claims that the alleged offense had been wrongly described, dismissed questions about the process of Sweden for instigating criminal investigations, and ordered that prosecutors had provided in their actions.
"This is obviously a case involving a trivial offense, but for serious sexual crimes," wrote the judges, the defense of the original court decision in February that Assange should be extradited.
Assange has said that sexual encounters were consensual, and his lawyer, Ben Emmerson, had previously held that the allegations would be considered crimes in England.
The appellate judges said that the apparent inconsistencies in some of the accusations against Assange should not affect his extradition to question - even though these issues can be validly obtained in a future trial.
Assange a step closer to extradition, is an open question whether your site can survive.
Only Assange warned last week that WikiLeaks was so low on cash losses would have to stop the publication and may close completely in two months, unless funding improves.
Assange also faces possible legal action in the U.S., where prosecutors are considering criminal charges.
Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army analyst suspected of disclosing classified information to WikiLeaks, remains in custody in prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. His case is pending before a military tribunal.
Some supporters held signs outside the London court on Wednesday that said: "! Manning Assange free free"