Stella Morris (40) was born in Johannesburg and has dual Swedish and Spanish nationality. He has been a legal part of Julian Assange’s team throughout his captivity. They got married in 2022 and she has two children with him.
In view of all that has happened, J.A. would you do things exactly the same again?
Wikileaks published documents that prove the largest state-sponsored crimes, and 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 accurate and precise during his posting.
NOW. do you consider yourself a journalist, a researcher, an editor, a bit of everything…?
He is the most awarded journalist in history, with thirty-nine journalism and human rights awards, an innovator and pioneer.
NOW. Do you think the Swedish sexual abuse allegations were orchestrated by the US government to punish him?
Sweden never formally charged him with any crime. The preliminary investigation was abandoned. He was a victim of procedural abuse and the Swedish authorities admitted that they had destroyed evidence of his correspondence with the FBI. It is clear that they acted illegally and very strangely, in the context of the Manning court-martial and public calls from American politicians to hunt down Julian, kidnap him or even kill him.
How is your health?
I live in fear of him getting catastrophically worse at any moment, in a place like Belmarsh Prison, where he is locked in his cell for over 22 hours a day. I am afraid that if there is an emergency he will not receive the proper treatment, and also for his safety. The psychological stress to which he is subjected day after day, week after week, year after year, is brutal. He is very strong, but he is human.
What is now, in your opinion, the most likely scenario?
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 harm 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 something of the future but a reality right now.
If he were extradited and tried, do you think he would receive a lenient sentence that could be commuted, or would Washington want to impose an exemplary punishment?
It would be naive to expect a lenient sentence from the country that has drawn up plans at the highest level to assassinate him. You 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 sentence of 175 years is a sword of Damocles hanging over him. The intention is to silence him and have him arrested as long as possible, as punishment for having exposed American abuses of power and for having deterred others from doing the same.
Is the UK judiciary being neutral?
I am sure that the British courts are being pressured to grant extradition. However, I still have hope that they will rule in our favor, because the legal arguments for doing so are overwhelming, but their release will only be possible if public opinion (press, intellectuals, international leaders… ) creates a political space that allows it.
NOW. do you feel betrayed by the European Union?
The hypocrisy of the EU is extraordinary, especially after the death of Navalni. The German chancellor Scholz has nevertheless 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.
Do the governments want more information to be investigated and disclosed than the official one?
Certain factions within the Western powers are clearly intent on subjugating 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 makes no sense if denouncing states’ 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 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 being prosecuted for acting as a journalist but for hacking computer systems and endangering the lives of numerous CIA agents…
It’s a fun tactic. The US does not indict J.A. of having hacked but of receiving information from a source and divulging it.
Do you see Western governments as true defenders of democracy?
Western governments defend democracy only insofar as it serves their foreign policy interests. Many of the Western allies are not exactly beacons of democracy. The military and intelligence apparatus of the United States has grown out of control, Eisenhower already warned and Kennedy tried to rein in the CIA. US defense spending is greater than that of all ten countries combined, and yet it has failed to prevail in Afghanistan. The defense of women’s rights was only the pretext for a military intervention. The goal is not to win wars but to make them endless, because they give a lot of money.
How tough is the situation for Julian Assange and you personally?
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. Children need it. We survive because we are fighting for their freedom. I don’t even want to think about what will happen if he is extradited.
What does J.A. think? of the Gaza and Ukraine wars?
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 slaughter of innocents, in Gaza, Ukraine and wherever.
