Julian Assange’s fiancee says she wants to wed the Wikileaks founder behind bars this year as he spends his 1,000th day in jail
- Julian Assange has marked 1,000 days in prison fighting US espionage charges
- He has suffered a stroke and lost the most recent round in his extradition battle
- Fiancee Stella Moris said she hopes to marry Wikileaks founder at HMP Belmarsh
- The couple, who share two children registered intention to marry in November
- They have accused the prison’s governor and Dominic Raab of working to prevent the ceremony going ahead
- He is wanted in the US over alleged conspiracy to disclose national defence info
Julian Assange’s fiancee has said she hopes to marry the Wikileaks founder in prison this year – as he continues to fight his extradition to the US on espionage charges.
As his supporters today marked 1,000 days since he was first imprisoned, Mr Assange’s partner Stella Moris said she was working on tying the knot in the ‘difficult setting’ behind bars at HMP Belmarsh.
‘It has been something we have been wanting to do and the ideal circumstances, we don’t know if and when they will happen, so we want to be married,’ she told The Mirror.
It comes at a difficult time for the publisher and activist, who was revealed to have had a stroke in October at the time of a High Court appearance – and has also lost the latest round in his extradition battle.
Julian Assange’s fiancee South African-born lawyer Stella Morris (pictured together) has said she hopes to marry the Wikileaks founder in prison this year – as he continues to fight his extradition to the US on espionage charge
Ms Moris, a South African-born lawyer, began a relationship with Mr Assange in 2015 while he was seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. They became engaged in 2017 and had two children. Pictured: Mr Assange’s children Gabriel and Max with Ms Moris
He is wanted in the US for publishing classified military intelligence information, charges that could land him a 175-year jail sentence. He remains in prison as he is deemed a flight risk.
Ms Moris, 38, said in a statement: ‘It will be 1,000 days this Wednesday that Julian Assange has spent in the harshest prison in the UK.
‘His young children, ages two and four, have no memory of their father outside the highest security prison of the UK.’
Ms Moris, a South African-born lawyer, began a relationship with Mr Assange in 2015 while he was seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. They became engaged in 2017 and had two children.
The Wikileaks founder is fighting extradition to the US from Belmarsh Prison where he has been held since 2019
The couple registered their intention to marry in November, having accused Belmarsh prison’s governor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab of working to prevent the ceremony going ahead.
Ms Moris, who has become the face of the campaign to free Mr Assange, said she thought she ‘would never step foot inside a prison’ but now accepts it is the only way to get married without his charges being dropped.
However, planning has proven difficult, with prison officials still yet to provide guidance on a ceremony and whether a cake or guests would be allowed.
‘I am looking at dresses, I haven’t picked one yet,’ she added. ‘It is a little bit difficult given the setting, but we don’t actually know what the parameters are yet, the prison hasn’t told us all the permissions [so] if we will be allowed a cake, a photographer or how many guests.’
Ms Moris added that while she could now see her fiancee on a weekly basis, ‘we don’t really have much time to ourselves as a couple I mean, that’s an understatement!’.
‘He is a good father, a good husband. He is the man I want to spend all my time with.’
Ms Moris, who has become the face of the campaign to free Mr Assange, said she thought she ‘would never step foot inside a prison’ but now accepts it is the only way to get married without his charges being dropped. Pictured: Ms Moris outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on December 10, 2021
Assange is pictured looking out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in a photograph from 2016
Mr Assange previously faced claims of sexually assaulting two different women in Sweden in 2010 which had led to attempts to extradite him.
He always denied the charges and they have since been dropped by Swedish prosecutors.
He is however still being pursued by US authorities for espionage charges, with appeals against any extradition ongoing.
Campaigners calling for his release were due to stage events on Wednesday to mark the 1,000 days he has spent in prison.
His supporters will gather outside Belmarsh Prison in London, where he is being held as the United States continues to attempt to extradite him.
In her renewed call for his release, Ms Moris added that as long as he remains in prison, Mr Assange will be a political prisoner, and his ‘indefinite incarceration’ will kill him unless it is brought to an end.
She added: ‘In those 1,000 days, Julian has been held in extraordinary isolation for part of the time, faced two Covid shutdowns and, in October, he suffered a stress-induced stroke during his latest hearing.
‘His lawyers have complained about the limited access they have to their client which has undermined his defence. His requests to attend his own hearings have been refused, and when he has been permitted to attend, his requests to sit next to his lawyers have also been refused.’
Source: Read Full Article