Wikileaks founder Julian Assange needs privacy and time to recover after more than five years in a high-security London prison, his wife Stella said Wednesday. 

"He needs time, he needs to recuperate, and this is a process," she told a news conference, appearing close to tears. "I ask you please to give us space, to give us privacy, to find our place, to let our family be a family before he can speak again at a time of his choosing."