Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been staying at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for six years, has initiated legal proceedings against the Ecuadorian government to protest his living conditions, WikiLeaks announced today.
Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where judicial authorities wanted him on charges of rape and sexual assault, which he has denied. That procedure has since been abandoned, France Press reports.
Although the court proceedings in Sweden have been withdrawn, he could be arrested in the UK for allegedly breaching his bail conditions if he leaves the embassy.
He was given new instructions on how to behave in the embassy last Sunday. As reported by the Guardian newspaper, he was told that he had to stay away from politics, clean his toilet and take better care of his cat.
Under the new rules, Assange must obtain permission from diplomatic staff for his visitors three days in advance. He is prohibited from engaging in activities that could be "considered political or interfering in the internal affairs of a state," according to a document seen by the Guardian.
Ecuadorian authorities this month partially lifted restrictions on Assange's internet access - he can use the embassy's Wi-Fi for his personal computer and mobile phone, but is expressly prohibited from using or installing "unapproved equipment".
WikiLeaks stated that Ecuador's measures against Assange were condemned by organizations for the defense of human rights, the BBC reports.
The Ecuadorian government is said to have refused a visit by Human Rights Watch chief lawyer Dana Pokempner and denied him several meetings with his lawyers.
Assange's lawyer said they are also questioning the legality of Ecuador's special protocol that makes his political asylum conditional on censorship of his freedom of thought, speech and association.
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