Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, marries in British prison

Reuters

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has married his longtime partner Stella Moris inside a high security prison in south east London. The fact took place this Wednesday (23) in a small ceremony with the presence of four guests: two official witnesses and two guards.

Assange is in jail as US officials seek his extradition to stand trial on 18 counts related to WikiLeaks’ disclosure of vast US military records and confidential diplomatic documents more than a decade ago.

“I am very happy and very sad. I love Julian with all my heart and I wish he were here,” Moris said outside the Belmarsh prison gates after the ceremony.

The 50-year-old Australian, who denies any wrongdoing, has been in Belmarsh prison since 2019 and before that he was housed in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years.

While living at the embassy, ​​he had two children with Moris, a lawyer more than a decade his junior, whom he met in 2011, when she started working on his legal team. Their relationship started in 2015.

The ceremony took place during prison visiting hours, where some of the UK’s most notorious criminals are serving sentences, including child killer Ian Huntley. Afterwards, the guests were asked to leave immediately.

The prison refused permission for journalists or photographers to be present as witnesses for security reasons.

For the occasion, Moris wore a lilac satin wedding dress and Assange a kilt – a tribute to family ties to Scotland – that were created by British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who campaigned against her extradition.

The wedding dress featured an inscription of a personal message from Westwood, and the long veil was embroidered with words such as “brave”, “relentless”, and “free and lasting love”. “To me Julian is a pure soul and a freedom fighter,” Westwood wrote.

Outside the jail, Moris cut a wedding cake and gave a speech to supporters who had gathered for the occasion. “You know what we are going through is cruel and inhumane,” he said.

“The love we have for each other leads us to this situation and any other that comes.” “He’s the most amazing person in the world. He’s wonderful and he should be free.”