Assange fathered two children while holed up in embassy, lawyer says – The Globe and Mail

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks on the balcony of the Embassy of Ecuador in London on May 19, 2017.

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange fathered two children with a lawyer representing him while he was sequestered in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, according to a British newspaper on Sunday.

The mother of his children, 37-year-old South African lawyer Stella Morris, told The Mail on Sunday the couple have two sons, aged 1 and 2, both conceived while Mr. Assange was in the embassy and kept secret from media and intelligence agencies monitoring his activity.

The paper said Ms. Morris has been engaged to Mr. Assange since 2017.

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Both of their children are British citizens. Mr. Assange watched the births on a video link, the paper said.

Australian-born Mr. Assange was dragged out of the embassy last year after a seven-year standoff and is now jailed in Britain fighting extradition to the United States on computer hacking and espionage charges.

His supporters say the U.S. case against him is political and he cannot receive a fair trial.

Ms. Morris said she had chosen to speak out now because she was worried about his susceptibility to the coronavirus in jail.

The paper quoted her as saying, I love Julian deeply and I am looking forward to marrying him.

She added, I am now terrified I will not see him alive again.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange fathered two children with a lawyer who was representing him while he was holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London fighting extradition, the lawyer told a British newspaper on Sunday. Lisa Bernhard has more. Reuters

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Assange fathered two children while holed up in embassy, lawyer says - The Globe and Mail