The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

While facing extradition to U.S., Julian Assange marries his long-term partner in prison wedding

Stella Moris speaks to reporters and supporters after being wed to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at Belmarsh prison, in southeast London. (Matt Dunham/AP)
3 min

LONDON — Julian Assange married his long-term partner, Stella Moris, on Wednesday inside Belmarsh prison, a high-security facility in southeast London where the WikiLeaks founder has been held for nearly three years.

Assange, 50, an anti-secrecy activist, is fighting extradition to the United States, where authorities want him to face charges of violating the Espionage Act.

American prosecutors allege that Assange leaked a trove of secret military documents and diplomatic cables about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Supporters of Assange say he is a champion of free speech who exposed information on controversial U.S. activities abroad.

Outside the prison gates after the ceremony, Moris, 38, cut a wedding cake and gave a speech to a throng of supporters. “I love Julian with all my heart. … I wish he were here,” she said.

The couple’s wedding, attended by four guests, two witnesses and two prison guards, took place during official visiting hours at Belmarsh, where Assange has been held since April 2019, after the Ecuadoran Embassy rescinded his asylum.

Writing in the Guardian ahead of their nuptials, Moris, Assange’s former lawyer, detailed the unusual circumstances of her wedding day.

“At lunchtime today, I will go through the gates at the most oppressive high security prison in the country and be married to a political prisoner,” Moris wrote. “… Every part of this private event is being intensely policed, from our guest list to the wedding picture.”

She said the witnesses and photographer she and Assange had requested were rejected by authorities because they work in the press and there were concerns that the wedding photos could be a “security risk.”

A spokeswoman for the Justice Ministry said convicted prisoners are not allowed to take or share any photos in British prisons. But because Assange has not been convicted, a prison staff member was allowed to take photos of the wedding. Prison governors can still block the photos if they think the images will compromise prison security.

British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who has supported Assange in the past, made his tartan kilt and Moris’s lilac wedding gown and veil, inscribed with words such as “valiant” “tumultuous” and “free.” Moris was photographed with their two young sons, who also wore kilts, at the prison entrance.

Earlier this month, Assange suffered a legal setback when Britain’s Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal of a judgment in December that found in favor of U.S. extradition, saying his application did “not raise an arguable point of law.”

But the Australian whistleblower’s long-running legal saga is not over. He can still appeal his extradition from Britain via other means. For instance, if his extradition is approved by Britain’s home secretary, Assange can try to challenge that decision by judicial review. He could also try to revive other issues of law raised in lower courts that his legal team has not yet appealed.

Loading...