Britain should block the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States on grounds that the prosecution is politically motivated and the charges against him amount to political offenses — two factors that by treaty would bar his handover, Assange’s legal team said Monday in a London court. … One British case states that to be considered a political offense “the crime must be specifically and immediately directed at ‘overthrowing or changing the government of a State or inducing it to change its policy,’” UVA law professor Ashley Deeks said.