Ecuador demands Assange stay out of politics

Controversial transparency activist Julian Assange will have to adhere to new rules of conduct to regain access to the internet in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, according to an unconfirmed embassy memo leaked on Monday.

In the nine-page memo published by Ecuadorian news website Codigo Vidrio, the Ecuadorian government orders Assange to avoid "interfering in the internal affairs of other states" or from activities "that could prejudice Ecuador's good relations with other states."

The document threatens Assange with a loss of his asylum status and expulsion from the embassy if he fails to do so.

Assange offline

Assange has been living at the embassy since 2012. He requested asylum that year after Swedish authorities charged him with sexual assault.

The 47-year-old continued working from the embassy until it cut off his internet connection in March 2018. The move came after Assange expressed support for Catalan independence and weighed in on the poisoning of a former Russian double-agent and his daughter in southern England.

Read more: From VW to Julian Assange: How does extradition work?

Embassy could confiscate cat

A long section of the leaked document details the embassy's visitor guidelines and his living conditions.

In one instance, the document orders Assange to keep the bathroom clean. In another instance, it warns him that if he did not look after his pet cat, the animal would be confiscated and taken to a shelter.

Additionally, it requires Assange to submit himself to medical evaluations and to cover the associated costs.

jcg/amp (EFE, AP)

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