Bride’s tears after marrying Julian Assange in prison wedding
Stella Moris said she was ‘very happy’ and ‘very sad’ after the ceremony at Belmarsh high security jail in east London.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Julian Assange’s new wife has made a tearful speech expressing her love for the WikiLeaks founder after they were married in prison.
Assange, 50, married Stella Moris at Belmarsh high security jail in east London where he is being held on charges concerning the alleged leaking of national security information.
The prison hosted a private ceremony lasting around three hours, with six guests including the couple’s two young sons and Assange’s father John Shipton.
You know what we're going through is cruel, it's inhuman. But the love that we have for each other carries us through this situation and any others that will come
After the ceremony, Ms Moris, who was wearing a floor-length lilac Vivienne Westwood gown with a tulle veil, addressed a large crowd of press and supporters beside a wedding cake.
Fighting back tears, she said: “Thank you guys, I don’t know what to say.
“I’m very happy; I’m very sad.
“I love Julian with all my heart, and I wish he was here.
“You know what we’re going through is cruel, it’s inhuman. But the love that we have for each other carries us through this situation and any others that will come.
“He’s the most amazing person in the world. He’s wonderful, and he should be free.”
Ms Moris’s satin gown had a note from Dame Vivienne sewn into the coat, according to the designer, who has been a vocal supporter of Assange.
Assange was wearing a Vivienne Westwood waistcoat, jacket and kilt, while their two young sons wore matching kilts.
Supporters waving “free Julian Assange” placards let off pink and white streamers at the entrance to HMP Belmarsh and cheered as Ms Moris entered and left.
Craig Murray, 63, a “whistleblower” and close friend of Assange, described the wedding as a “moment of hope and love”.
Wearing a kilt outside Belmarsh, he told the PA news agency: “I’m very happy for them.
“It’s a moment of affirmation, of hope and love in terrible circumstances.”
Mr Murray added that he is still hopeful for the eventual release of Assange, whose last appeal against the High Court’s decision in December 2021 to extradite him to the US was rejected.
Val, who travelled from her home in Bedford to attend, described the event as “bittersweet”.
The 73-year-old, who has been campaigning for the release of Assange for 12 years, told PA: “This wedding should be in Westminster with thousands of people there, and they should be able to live together as husband and wife.
“It’s bittersweet. It’s good that they’ve been able to get married and show their love to the world.
“But the horror of what is happening, if he is extradited to America, would be absolutely terrible.”
The wedding came a few weeks before the third anniversary of Assange’s dramatic arrest when he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
The WikiLeaks founder has been held in the high-security jail ever since as he fights extradition to the US, where he is wanted over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following WikiLeaks’ publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Assange has always denied wrongdoing and has won support for his case from human rights organisations and journalist groups across the world.
In a statement referring to former US soldier and defence analyst Chelsea Manning, who leaked material to WikiLeaks, Dame Vivienne said: “Julian published the collateral murder video released to him by Chelsea Manning.
“The greatest threat the US faced to its credibility.
“We are a global war economy and the authorities have held and trapped Julian by laws which have avoided all due process.
“To me, Julian is a pure soul and a freedom fighter.”