Stella Assange condemns decision to block Reporters Without Borders from meeting her husband
The wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has condemned the refusal to allow representatives from press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders to meet her husband, describing it as “shameful”.
Two members of the French group were scheduled to visit Assange at HMP Belmarsh in London on Tuesday, but were blocked by prison authorities, despite having received prior approval. Assange’s wife, Stella, who was permitted to visit her husband, criticised the decision, calling it "ludicrous".
Outside the prison gates, Stella Assange spoke passionately: "Julian’s detention here is a scandal in itself, and this morning’s refusal is yet another example of a troubling pattern." She went on to highlight that when she and Julian married at the prison a year ago, their choice of witnesses, who were both journalists, had been rejected. "This is political persecution of a publisher who was merely doing his job," she asserted.
Next week marks the fourth anniversary of Assange’s transfer to HMP Belmarsh from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he had sought asylum for seven years. He is currently being held as he challenges the High Court's ruling to extradite him to the US over charges related to the leaking of military documents.
Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders, expressed his dismay, stating: “We were granted official authorisation to visit Julian, confirmed on March 31. However, upon our arrival this morning, we were informed that our names had been removed from the visitors’ list.” He explained that the prison governor decided to deny them entry because they were journalists, despite their visit being made in a non-journalistic capacity as representatives of a non-governmental organisation.
Rebecca Vincent, Director of Operations and Campaigns at Reporters Without Borders, added: "The initial response we received claimed that intelligence had indicated we were journalists. However, I have never worked as a journalist or held a press card, and our organisation operates solely as an NGO."
Julian and Stella Assange were married at HMP Belmarsh in March of the previous year and have since had two children. Their time together remains limited, with just a few visits per week. Stella remarked: "We cherish our moments together. When the children are with us, we try to create as much normalcy as possible."
A spokesperson for the prison service defended the decision, stating: “The representatives from Reporters Without Borders were denied entry to HMP Belmarsh as they were deemed journalists, in accordance with prison rules. We are open to reconsidering future requests based on further information.”
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The first day’s journey was through the pink fields
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields