Julian Assange has lodged an appeal against a decision to extradite him to the United States, as supporters staged protests ahead of his 51st birthday.

His wife Stella was among people who gathered outside the Home Office in central London on Friday to step up calls for the WikiLeaks founder to be released from prison.

He will spend his birthday in Belmarsh Prison in London on Saturday while a lengthy legal battle continues over whether he can be extradited.

Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition to the US last month, but an appeal application was submitted to the High Court on Friday.

Mr Assange is wanted by American authorities over documents leaked in 2010 and 2011 related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

He has been in prison since he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2019, where he had been living since 2012.