Julian Assange's children have only met their father in captivity.
Now they are waiting for him in Australia – without knowing why, according to Stella Assange.
The wife and the two children, seven and five years old, landed in Australia on Sunday. The children are thrilled to be there, according to Stella Assange.
But they have no idea about the reason for the sudden departure, she tells BBC Radio.
All I said to them in the morning we left was that there was a big surprise waiting. I told them we were heading to the airport.
On board the plane, the children were told they would be visiting relatives – but nothing about their father Julian's release. The situation is too fragile. Not until the judge in the American Pacific territory of the Northern Mariana Islands signs the agreement and the matter is completely clear will the sons be told, according to Stella Assange.
The couple met when Julian Assange was under house arrest in the UK in 2011, when lawyer Stella Assange (born Sara Gonzalez Devant) became part of the legal team fighting to prevent the WikiLeaks founder from being extradited to Sweden. They became a couple in 2015 and got married in 2022. The children were born in 2017 and 2019.