Stella Morris (40 years old) was born in Johannesburg and has dual Swedish and Spanish nationality. She has been a legal part of Julian Assange’s team throughout her captivity. She got married in 2022 and has two children with him.
Given everything that has happened, would Julian Assange (J.A.) do things exactly the same again?
Wikileaks published documents proving major state-sponsored crimes, which have been used in court cases around the world, including the Strasbourg Court, as evidence of torture and renditions by the CIA. Contrary to what the US says, Julian was very careful and precise in his publication.
Does Assange consider himself a journalist, a researcher, an editor, a little of everything…?
He is the most awarded journalist in history, with 39 journalism and Human Rights awards, an innovator and pioneer.
Does Assange think that the accusations in Sweden of sexual abuse were orchestrated by the US government to punish him?
Sweden never formally accused him of any crime. The preliminary investigation was abandoned. He was the victim of abuse of process and Swedish authorities admitted to suppressing evidence of his correspondence with the FBI. It is clear that they acted illegally and very strangely, in the context of the court-martial of (Chelsea) Manning and public calls by American politicians to persecute Julian, kidnap him or even kill him.
How is your health?
I live in fear that he will take a catastrophic turn for the worse at any moment, in a place like Belmarsh Prison, where he is locked in his cell for more than 22 hours a day. I fear that if there is an emergency he will not receive adequate treatment, and also for his safety. The psychological stress you are subjected to day after day, week after week, year after year, is brutal. He is very strong, but he is human.
What, in your opinion, is the most likely scenario now?
I hope that the European Court of Human Rights will consider his case and he will be released before the end of the year. The only thing that would reverse the damage done to press freedom is for the charges to be dropped entirely, because journalists are now more vulnerable than ever to persecution, intimidation and imprisonment. The chilling consequences for journalism are not a thing of the future but a reality right now.
If he were extradited and tried, do you think he would receive a light sentence that could be commuted, or would Washington want an exemplary punishment?
It would be naive to expect a light sentence from the country that has drawn up plans at the highest level to assassinate him. He will never be safe on American soil. When Mike Pompeo was director of the CIA, he planned an operation to kidnap him and put him in US custody, for which he hired a Spanish company, UC Global. The threat of a draconian 175-year sentence is a sword of Damocles hanging over his head. The intention is to silence him and keep him in prison for as long as possible, as punishment for exposing American abuses of power and to deter others from doing the same.
Is the UK justice system being neutral?
I am sure that the British courts are being pressured to grant extradition. However, I am still hopeful that they will rule in our favor, because the legal arguments for doing so are overwhelming. But his release will only be possible if public opinion (press, intellectuals, international leaders…) creates a political space that allows it.
Does Assange feel betrayed by the European Union?
The EU’s hypocrisy is extraordinary, especially after Navalny’s death. German Chancellor Scholz has however asked that the extradition be rejected, and I trust that this will mark a change of direction in Brussels. The case could end up in Strasbourg. It is ridiculous to pretend that it does not concern Europe when it will decide the future of press freedom on the continent.
Does it hurt governments that more information than the official information is investigated and disclosed?
Certain factions within the Western powers clearly intend to subjugate their citizens and the press. There are also some, especially in the US, who recognize that this case is crucial for the future of democracy. The law is meaningless if reporting state illegalities is considered a crime. Secrecy and impunity are two sides of the same coin.
What will be the impact of the resolution on freedom of expression and the press?
Public interest journalism will not survive if we lose this case. The US is criminalizing the conduct of the press beyond its borders and wants to create a universal jurisdiction to censor journalists.
The US says that J.A. He is not persecuted for having acted as a journalist but for having hacked computer systems and endangered the lives of numerous CIA agents…
It’s a diversionary tactic. The US does not accuse J.A. of hacking but of receiving information from a source and disclosing it.
Do you see Western governments as true defenders of democracy?
Western governments defend democracy only to the extent that it serves their foreign policy interests. Many of the Western allies are not exactly torches of democracy. The US military and intelligence apparatus has grown uncontrollably, as Eisenhower warned and Kennedy tried to put the CIA in check. US defense spending is greater than that of the next ten countries combined, and yet it has not managed to prevail in Afghanistan. The defense of women’s rights was only the pretext for military intervention. The objective is not to win wars but to make them endless, because they make a lot of money.
How tough is the situation for you and Julian on a personal level?
For Julian it is impossible to quantify. He was 39 when we met, now 53. His health is poor. For me, nothing is worse than the danger of losing him forever. The children need it. We survive because we are fighting for freedom from him. I don’t even want to think what will happen if he is extradited.
What does J.A think about the wars in Gaza and Ukraine?
The reason journalists are not allowed into Gaza is the same reason he is imprisoned. Journalism has the power to change things. Julian will always be against the killing of innocents, in Gaza, in Ukraine and wherever.
