Julian Assange ‘wants prison leave’ to attend Vivienne Westwood’s funeral
Julian Assange will request leave from prison to go to Vivienne Westwood’s funeral, his wife has said.
The Wikileaks founder, 51, has been incarcerated in London’s maximum security Belmarsh prison for almost four years as he fights extradition to the US where he faces charges of espionage and hacking.
However, following the death of his close friend, the 81-year-old fashion designer, Dame Vivienne Westwood, known as “the Godmother of Punk”, his wife has said that he will be requesting permission to attend.
Stella Assange told Australia’s Nine Media of the funeral: “Julian’s going to put in a request to be able to attend.”
Mr Assange and Dame Vivienne had been friends for more than a decade, with the designer a vocal supporter throughout his time in the Ecuadorian embassy and prison.
The fashion designer had even dressed as a canary and suspended herself inside a giant birdcage outside The Old Bailey in July 2020 to protest his potential extradition.
Her death prompted the Wikileaks founder to issue his first tribute since being imprisoned in 2019.
In a comment released by Mrs Assange, he said: “Vivienne was a Dame and a pillar of the anti-establishment. Bold, creative, thoughtful and a good friend. The best of Britain. She will be missed terribly by me and many others.”
Mrs Assange wore a dress designed by Dame Vivienne and her husband Andreas Kronthaler when she married the 51-year-old at the prison in a small ceremony in March.
Following Dame Vivienne’s death, she said: “Vivienne was a rebel at heart. Julian and I loved her company. Her gift to us took our wedding to the next level so there was a lot of attention and she just had this incredible talent for visuals and for messaging.”
She added: “Our wonderful friend Vivienne Westwood has left us. A fierce campaigner and a true altruist, she fought to #FreeAssange and for humanity’s future. Vivienne, you remain an inspiration. Your greatness will live on.”
