This Wednesday, Julian Assange will be able to think of something other than his imprisonment. The WikiLeaks founder will actually marry one of his former lawyers, Stella Morris, in a British high security prison, from where he continues to fight against his extradition to the United States.
The couple would marry in a small committee with only four guests and two witnesses. But his supporters are invited to come to the outskirts of Belmarsh Prison in south-east London, as if to attend a wedding. British designer Vivienne Westwood, who is very committed to its release, designed the lehenga to be worn by Julian Assange on the occasion – in reference to his Scottish origins – as well as the wedding dress of Stella Morris, support group Don’t Extradite Assange. According to.
Threatened with 175 years in prison
Caught in a lengthy legal saga, the 50-year-old Australian is wanted by US courts who want to be tried for the circulation of more than 700,000 classified documents on US military and diplomatic activities since 2010, particularly in Iraq. and in Afghanistan. Prosecuted under a law specifically against espionage, Julian Assange faced 175 years in prison, a case denounced by human rights organizations as a serious attack on press freedom.
On 14 March, he saw one of his last hopes of escaping his extradition disappear, with the British Supreme Court refusing to examine his appeal. His partner, a South African lawyer in his 30s, has urged UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to approve his extradition, stop it and end their “political relationship”.
a kitty for court costs
Julian Assange and Stella Morris first met in 2011 when a lawyer was hired to join the legal team fighting Julian Assange’s extradition. Their engagement was announced in November 2021. Stella Morris had two children with Julian Assange, two little boys conceived while he was staying at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The WikiLeaks founder spent seven years in the embassy where he took refuge in 2012 while on bail.
The Julian Assange Support Group said that after the wedding ceremony, Stella Morris would cut the wedding cake and give a speech. He also launched a fundraiser to contribute to legal costs aimed at preventing his extradition, which had collected more than £177,000 sterling on Tuesday (212,000 euros).