WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange married his longtime partner Stella Moris in a British high-security prison on Wednesday in a small ceremony attended by only four guests, two official witnesses and two guards.
Assange is being held in prison as US authorities seek his extradition to stand trial on 18 charges related to WikiLeaks’ release of vast troves of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables more than a decade ago. “I am very happy and very sad. I love Julian with all my heart and wish he were here,” Moris said outside the gates of Belmarsh Prison after the ceremony.
The 50-year-old Australian, who denies any wrongdoing, has been held in the south-east London prison since 2019, and before that he was locked up in the Ecuadorian embassy in the British capital for seven years. While living at the embassy, he fathered two children with Moris, a lawyer more than ten years his junior, whom he met in 2011 when she started working in his legal team. Their relationship began in 2015.
The clerk-led nuptials took place during visiting hours at the prison, where some of Britain’s most notorious criminals have served sentences, including child murderer Ian Huntley. Then the guests were asked to leave immediately. For the occasion, Moris wore a lilac satin wedding dress and Assange a kilt – a nod to his family ties to Scotland – which were created by British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who campaigned against his extradition.
The wedding dress featured an inscription of a personal message from Westwood, and the long veil was embroidered with words such as “valiant”, “relentless”, and “free enduring love”. “To me, Julian is a pure soul and a freedom fighter,” Westwood said.
Outside the prison, Moris cut a wedding cake and gave a speech to supporters gathered for the occasion. “You know what we’re going through is cruel and inhumane,” she said. “The love we have for each other carries us through this situation and every other that will come. He’s the most amazing person in the world. He’s wonderful and he should be free.”
Assange suffered a major blow earlier this month when he was refused leave to appeal to Britain’s Supreme Court against a decision to extradite him. However, he could still challenge the government’s ratification of the extradition.
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