Julian Assange has been given permission to marry his fiancée Stella Moris inside Britain’s highest security prison.
Wikileaks’ founder is fighting for extradition to America from Belmarsh Prison, where he was held since 2019.
Last month, he applied to marry Ms Morris (38), the mother of his children.
Stella Morris (left), a South African born lawyer, and Assange (right) started dating after Assange helped her with a legal case to end his extradition.
Assange may marry the lawyer next month, but only a few guests will be permitted including witnesses.
According to The Sun, the couple is paying the entire cost of the service.
According to Ms. Moris, she said that it was a relief that reason had prevailed. She also expressed her hope for a smooth transition in the future.
According to a spokesperson for the Prison Service, “Mr Assange’s request was accepted, reviewed, and processed by the prison governor in the same manner as any other prisoner.”
According to US authorities, the 50-year old is being sought in connection with allegations that he conspired to disclose and obtain national defense information after WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of documents related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
It comes after a court heard that a psychiatrist withheld evidence from Assange’s first extradition hearing that he had fathered two children while in the Ecuadorean embassy.
Michael Kopelman of King’s College London was charged with failing to disclose Assange’s children and Ms Moris at the Ecuadorean Embassy.
Gabriel, who is three years old, and Max, his one-year-old brother, were born while Assange was living in London’s Ecuadorian embassy.
Lawyers for the Assange told the High Court he spoke to defence solicitor Gareth Peirce, 80, about identifying Ms Moris and the children.
Edward Fitzgerald, QC, said: ‘Ms Peirce indicated that she believed that such identification be temporarily postponed.’
He said the psychiatrist, who gave key evidence on Assange’s mental state, had admitted withholding details to protect the family’s privacy.
But the US government claims a district judge who blocked the extradition should have ruled out Kepelman’s evidence after it emerged he had misled her.
Michael Kopelman (pictured), of King’s College London, was accused of failing to reveal Assange had babies with his lawyer Stella Moris in the Ecuadorean Embassy
Lawyers for the Assange (pictured in a court sketch) told the High Court he spoke to defence solicitor Gareth Peirce, 80, about identifying Ms Moris and the children
Edward Fitzgerald, QC said that Ms. Peirce stated that she thought such identification should be postponed temporarily. Pictured: Ms Moris
Assange has to wait for senior judges to reconsider a decision not expending him to the US after a two day hearing at High Court.
The US is challenging the January decision by Vanessa Baraitser, then-district judge, that Assange shouldn’t be sent to America. She cited an ‘oppressive’ and real risk of Assange’s suicide.
Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett was seated with Lord Justice Holroyde. He said that lawyers gave them “much to think about” and they would take time to consider their decision at Thursday’s end.
Supporters of Assange were outside the Royal Courts of Justice for the duration of court proceedings.
According to Assange, blocking Assange from leaving the US because of his mental state risks was a reward for his flight.
Assange seen in London’s Ecuadorian Embassy, looking out in a photo from 2016.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s supporters demonstrate outside of the Royal Courts of Justice London
James Lewis, QC (for the US) stated that Assange’s “intellectual capacity to circumvent suicidal preventative measures” was the basis of her district judge’s decision. This could have the potential to become a ‘trumpcard’ for anybody who wants to stop their extradition, no matter what resources they might have.
The district judge, according to Assange, had “entirely based its decision” on Assange’s risk of being subject to administrative special measures (SAMs) or detained in the ADX Florence Supermax jail if Assange is extradited.
He said that four “binding” diplomatic assurances were made to her, one of which was to consent for him to be transferred to Australia in order to complete any sentence. This would ‘fundamentally alter the factual basis’ to her decision.
Lewis claimed that the assurances couldn’t have been made in advance and said they were an ‘active’ and “responsible” response to the findings of the district judge.
He stated that they are a “solemn matter” and not “dished out like smarties”.
US authorities argue Assange can be extradited if he is in good health. Lewis told the court that Assange’s mental illness is not severe enough to stop him being sent to the US.
Lawyers for Assange, however, opposed to the US’s effort to remove the block on his extradition argumented that the US had given assurances about the WikiLeaks founder’s treatment but were not able to do so.
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Fitzgerald QC claimed that Mr Fitzgerald’s ‘qualified’ and conditional assurances were made ‘too late for proper testing’. He also stated that they ‘does not contradict the principal findings’ by the district judge, who applied the law “strictly and fully properly”.
He stated that the District Judge had made a “carefully considered, fully reasoned judgement” and added it was clear she had’scrupulously used the test for oppression when there is a mental disorder.
The judge was informed by him that it is logical to consider extradition of a mentally disturbed person as inhumane because it is likely to lead to his death. He also stated that the court should be allowed to exercise its powers to protect people from being extradited to foreign states where they have no control.
He said that the conclusion of the district judge was justified because Assange “would be driven to suicide by his disorder, regardless of preventative actions taken”.
Fitzgerald dismissed the assurances, calling them ‘caveated and vague’ or ‘ineffective’. Additionally, he stated that none offer any guarantee or concession to the use of US practice.
Stella Moris, partner in Assange (right), and WikiLeaks editorin-chief Kristinn Harfnsson arrive at the court
He said that Assange’s assurances to not impose any special administrative measures on him or keep him in the ADX Florence Supermax prison pre-trial, or post-conviction does not eliminate the possibility of being subject to “conditions of administrative isolation”.
A court heard from Assange that he had been subjected to an ‘enormous, frightening and perilous’ situation when under surveillance in London while living at the Ecuadorian embassies.
In written submissions, Mr Fitzgerald argued that the claims of ‘extreme surveillance’ and subsequent disclosures of CIA plans for Julian Assange from the same time period justified his earlier concerns about Stella Moris’ safety and privacy.
Assange also represented Mark Summers QC. Summers said it was important to assess the ‘trustworthiness of US assurances.
Since 2019, Assange is being held at Belmarsh Prison after he was taken out of Ecuador’s embassy by the police and then arrested for violating bail conditions.
In 2012, he entered the building to escape extradition to Sweden for sex offense allegations. He has never denied them and they were later dropped.