Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder, has marked his first Christmas since his release from prison in a rare photo shared by his wife Stella Assange.

The message, posted online by Ms Assange, features a picture of a smiling Mr Assange, 53, clutching a lamb to his chest against the backdrop of a blue sky in Australia.

It wishes a “Merry Christmas” and a “steadfast push for peace and dignity for all” from the family, who moved to Australia following Mr Assange’s release.

Legal action against Mr Assange, who was born in Queensland, Australia, started in 2010 after hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars were published.