Assange to Sue U.K. Minister Over ‘Illegally Blocking’ Jail Marriage

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his fiancée have accused U.K. officials of “illegally blocking and delaying” their marriage, and are reportedly preparing to sue both the justice minister and the governor of the jail holding Assange. Stella Moris, who has two children with Assange, tweeted on Sunday that the suit was being filed against the “creepy elements of the UK government” blocking the marriage. The couple’s suit specifically targets Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and secretary of state for justice, and Jenny Louis, who runs Belmarsh prison.

The filing cites a number of attempts Assange and his lawyers have made to request formal permission to wed, all of which were allegedly ignored. Moris said that the lack of response from U.K. officials had “erected a total and indefinite barrier” and was “unfair, irrational and sinister.” She tied the stonewalling back to recent attempts to extradite Assange to the U.S. to face espionage charges, which his legal team is fighting on “grounds for fearing what will be done to him” by the CIA. Moris revealed her relationship with Assange for the first time in 2020 when she publicly joined his release campaign, five years after they began dating.