Behind her, as she speaks, she has drawings of her children, Gabriel and Max, aged 7 and 5, born from her relationship with one of the most controversial men in the world, Julian Assange. Stella Moris, South African by birth, Swedish and Spanish passport, born Sara Devant, after her former lawyer – the two met and fell in love when he was locked up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London – today she is at the forefront of the campaign for liberation of the husband.
And while is expected in Milan, where she will take part on Sunday as a speaker at the Wired Next Fest, agrees to speak in an exclusive interview with the Corriere della Sera via Zoom.
On May 20, the British High Court allowed her husband to appeal against the US extradition request, thus avoiding him being tried in a country where he risks 175 years in prison. Good news for you. How is Assange?
“Better. I saw him yesterday morning (last Wednesday for those reading, ed). I was worried about him because he had been sick all week. The moments before the hearing were full of tension, he didn’t sleep for whole nights. Then, after the verdict, his immune system collapsed. He is happy with the result obviously. But he has been in prison for more than five years now.”
What are the next steps and what are the differences compared to before?
«The next hearing will be before the summer break, we are waiting for the date. In case of defeat, we would have the possibility of appealing to the British Supreme Court and this is a good thing. But that means we are in for months, if not years, of further litigation here in the UK, unless the US drops the charges. As arguments, now, those relating to freedom of the press still stand, the US claims that since Assange is an Australian citizen accused under the Espionage Act he is not entitled to the protection of the first amendment. And that’s why this is a battle that concerns the entire press.”
The founder of WikiLeaks has not appeared in public for a long time. Will we see Assange in the Chamber in the next phase?
“It is hard to say. The last two times he was in doubt until the end. The journey itself from Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison to the courthouse is very stressful and physically demanding. He has to get up at dawn and endure multiple searches, including body searches. And the journey itself, two hours in traffic, takes place in a high-security van, an upright coffin, where he is isolated from other prisoners. Then, when he approaches the court, the windows are blacked out.”
Do you receive enough psychological support?
«The short answer is no. The prison administration monitors him every week, and there have been periods when he has been under constant surveillance, a good thing but above all in the interests of the prison. So he is monitored, but this does not mean that he receives the care he needs or that he can have a psychologist of his choice. Then, fortunately, even in prison he also met some good doctors.”
Recently the Wall Street Journal wrote that there is a plea agreement between Assange and the US government. Your legal team denied it. Yet, the Biden administration appears to have no interest in putting such a divisive case on the table before the election. Furthermore, the British High Court ruling is an encouraging sign…
«From public statements but also from informal contacts, we see that the Biden administration is not as aggressive as the Trump one. And we also know that there are people in the White House who want to find a solution. As a wife, mother of his children and as a member of his family I can say that we just want Julian to be free and therefore Biden to drop the case. But I believe it would be in everyone’s interest – because freedom of the press concerns each of us – if Biden behaved differently from Trump.”
Could a solution come from Australia?
«Yes, the Australian government’s position on this case has changed under this administration. The previous government had issued Julian a new passport, the bare minimum. But the Australian Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (in office since May 2022, ed) made the case a priority. Australian public opinion also spoke in favor of Julian. And if we consider him a political prisoner, then it is essential that his country supports him.”
At this historical moment there is a lot of discussion about war crimes, both in Ukraine and in Gaza. What would Assange do if he were free?
«Julian has been cut off from the world, obviously I tell him what I read, what I see, he is horrified. He dedicated his life to fighting injustice and opposing war. But as a family the priority for us is that he gets himself physically and mentally in a much better place and takes some time for himself.”
What will you do on the first day, in case they release him. Have you ever talked about it?
«I imagine us calmly in a room with time for ourselves; sit down, hug each other and let the kids run around and take time. We haven’t had time and for many years the only contact has been half an hour at a time where we can simply hold hands whilst constantly being told what we can and can’t do. I try to give the children certainties: I tell them that Julian will come home and that it’s just a question of when and that there are many people fighting for him. The little one (Max, ed.) is really obsessed with the idea of going camping with his father because we have never been camping yet. So, yes I leave it free to imagine. But the truth is that we are in an uncertain situation.”
There has long been talk of a plan to kidnap/kill Assange. Does he believe that his family will be safe even if he were to go free?
«Like everything about Julian, it depends on politics. We know that there were discussions at the highest levels in the White House. And that Mike Pompeo, head of the CIA at the time, asked his agents to come up with a plan for a kidnapping or assassination. If Trump were to return to power and Pompeo with him, well then I would be afraid. If you look at his Twitter timeline you realize that he was obsessed with Julian. Furthermore, there are those who still think that Assange deserves punishment for telling the truth to the world.”
