Julian Assange weds long-term partner Stella Moris inside UK high-security prison

Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange on Wednesday married his long-term girlfriend Stella Moris at a private ceremony inside the UK's high-security prison. Two official witnesses, two guards, and four guests were allowed to participate in the wedding of the 50-year-old entrepreneur, who is fighting his extradition to the United States to face espionage charges.

The couple was wedded in a registrar-led ceremony that took place during visiting hours at the Belmarsh prison in southeast London. The prison is famous for holding the most notorious criminals of all time, including child murderer Ian Huntley. Moris, dressed in a lilac satin gown, veil, and gown, arrived at the premises alongside her two children Gabriel and Max. The boys suited up in formals looked adorable. Reportedly, Julian was dressed in a kilt, in reflection of his Scottish heritage. "I am very happy and very sad. I love Julian with all my heart and wish he were here," Moris told reporters outside Belmarsh in an emotional speech after the brief ceremony. Wikileaks' Twitter handle posted snaps from before and after the wedding.

It is to mention that Assange had applied to the prison governor for permission to marry his fiancé, Moris, who he met in 2011 when he was living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The couple fell in love in 2015 and got engaged two years later. On November 12, 2021, Assange was granted permission to marry Stella Moruis in the said prison where he has been held since 2019. It is to mention that the couple was granted to marry after they filed a lawsuit against the prison governor and then Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, accusing them of deliberately stalling the marriage.

Julian Assange case

Assange, an Australian citizen, was arrested by police after spending five years in the embassy, where he sought political asylum as he fought to avoid extradition to Sweden, fearing he would be taken to the US for questioning over the activities of WikiLeaks. Assange is slapped with 18 charges in the US, including under the Espionage Act for "conspiring" to gain access to US military secrets between January and May 2010. In the US, Assange is wanted over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and leak national defence information following WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In January this year, the 50-year-old won the first stage of an appeal to fight extradition to the US. If convicted in the US, Assange may face a 175-year sentence for sourcing and publishing confidential documents, BBC had reported in December 2021. 

(Image: @StellaMoris1/Twitter)