Julian Assange's partner has urged US President Donald Trump to pardon him following developments involving a cousin of the WikiLeaks founder and a former US national security adviser.
Stella Moris used Thanksgiving Day to issue a plea to the president after he pardoned ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn.
The move followed the release from prison in Tehran of Mr Assange's cousin, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer at Melbourne University, who had been detained in Iran since September 2018.
Julian Assange's partner Stella Moris has urged US President Donald Trump to pardon him. Stella Moris (middle) took the couple's two children Gabriel (right), three, and Max (left), one, to meet their father Julian Assange at Belmarsh Prison in south-east London in August this year
Ms Moris made the personal plea to Trump through Twitter, saying it was the only channel he seems to value
Ms Moris made a personal plea to Mr Trump through Twitter, saying it was the only channel he seems to value.
Including a picture of her and Mr Assange's two children, she tweeted: 'These are Julian's sons Max and Gabriel. They need their father. Our family needs to be whole again. I beg you, please bring him home for Christmas.'
On Dr Moore-Gilbert's release, she said: 'Like Julian, Kylie was charged in a bogus espionage case. She was tried in secret and convicted to 10 years. She spent two years in Iran's most notorious prisons. There has barely been news about her case, other than letters smuggled from prison.
'Julian has petitioned Iran's leaders to release her earlier this year. I told Julian the news over the phone. He wants to express his gratitude to Australian and UK diplomats for securing her freedom.'
Dr Moore-Gilbert was released in exchange for three Iranians held abroad after being detained on espionage charges, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported yesterday.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB released footage of Moore-Gilbert in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, reporting she had been freed
Meanwhile, Mr Assange said that 49 inmates and 15 staff on his wing at Belmarsh prison in London have tested positive for coronavirus, while he has tested negative.
He said he has now been let out of quarantine since the outbreak, along with others who have tested negative.
A Prison Service spokesman said: 'We've introduced further safety measures following a number of positive cases.'
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (pictured) has said Belmarsh Prison is on lockdown due to an outbreak of coronavirus and exercise and showers are now prohibited as part of prison safety measures
Mr Assange will find out on January 4 whether he will be extradited to the US to face charges that could see him jailed for 175 years.
He faces 18 charges including a plot to hack computers and conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.
He is said to have plotted with defence analyst Chelsea Manning to crack an encrypted password on US Department of Defence computers.
The 49-year-old faces up to 175 years in prison if convicted of the espionage offences in the US.
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