ASSANGE MARRIES STELLA MORIS IN A BRITISH PRISON
Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder who is fighting extradition to the United States on espionage charges, married Stella Moris, his longtime partner with whom he has two young children, on Wednesday in a prison in London.
The ceremony was held at Belmarsh Prison, a high-security men’s facility in southeast London, where Assange has been held since 2019.
Wikileaks published footage on Twitter of Moris briefly addressing journalists and supporters who gathered outside the prison, where she cut into a tiered wedding cake after the private ceremony. She wore a flowing veil with words inscribed on it that included: “relentless,” “valiant” and “free enduring love.”
“I’m very happy and very sad,” Moris said. “I love Julian with all my heart, and I wish he were here.”
It was unclear who attended the ceremony or if the couple was allowed to hold a reception or spend time alone after the wedding.
Assange’s lawyers declined to comment Wednesday; and the prison did not immediately comment.
A photo posted by the
Wikileaks Twitter account before the wedding showed Moris in her gown, holding a bouquet of flowers. The couple’s two children were dressed in purple kilts and bow ties.
In 2012, Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London as he was fighting extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning in a rape inquiry, which later was dropped. Moris was hired as part of the legal team fighting those extradition efforts, and during the seven years he was holed up in the embassy, she and Assange developed a relationship and had two sons, Gabriel and
Max.
In May 2019, the U.S. Justice Department announced that Assange had been indicted in the U.S. on 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act for his role in obtaining and publishing secret military and diplomatic documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.