Julian Assange's lawyer denies faeces-smearing allegations as Wikileaks confirms his cat is safe

‘Ecuador has been making some pretty outrageous allegations,’ says Jennifer Robinson

Peter Stubley
Sunday 14 April 2019 17:21 BST
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Julian Assange's lawyer denies the WikiLeaks founder spread faeces on Eduadorian embassy walls

Julian Assange’s lawyer has denied the Wikileaks founder smeared excrement on the walls of the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Jennifer Robinson insisted it was not true that Assange had put faeces on the walls of the embassy, as claimed this week by the South American nation’s interior minister.

She told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “Ecuador has been making some pretty outrageous allegations over the past few days to justify what was an unlawful and extraordinary act in allowing British police to come inside an embassy.

“It’s a difficult situation – he has been inside a room for more than seven years ... in quite difficult circumstances. It’s not been easy.”

Meanwhile, Wikileaks tweeted that Mr Assange’s cat, Michi, was safe after its owner was forcibly removed from the embassy on Thursday.

“Assange asked his lawyers to rescue [the cat] from embassy threats in mid-October,” said the Twitter post, which vowed the pair would be “reunited in freedom”.

The cat was given to Assange by his children four years into his seven-year stay at the embassy.

It became a social media sensation after being pictured wearing a tie in the window of the consulate, and had appeared in photos with Assange on Twitter and Instagram accounts with the handle @EmbassyCat.

Wikileaks tweeted a video of Michi looking at a television showing footage of Assange’s arrest.

The Wikileaks founder, 47, faces up to 12 months in jail in the UK for breaching his bail conditions. The US government has requested his extradition to stand trial for obtaining classified information from former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

Assange may also face a request from Swedish prosecutors for him to face trial over rape allegations dating back to 2010.

His lawyer said if Sweden did make an extradition request, they would seek assurances that he would not be sent on to the US after that case had been dealt with.

“If Sweden makes and extradition request we will certainly be asking for same assurances as before... the same as we sought in 2010,” Ms Robinson said.

She stressed that her client was not above the law and had offered his testimony to Swedish prosecutors.

“The concern was not about facing Swedish justice, it was the risk of facing American injustice,” she added.

“I think this case has been politicised. He has embarrassed the US military-industrial complex, he has embarrassed the CIA. High profile US politicians have called for him to be killed by drone strike.

“We will fight this extradition request in the courts, so it is a matter for the British courts now.”

Ecuador’s interior minister, Maria Paula Romo, had said Assange began to act aggressively as his mental and physical health deteriorated during his long stay in the embassy.

She claimed he had been allowed to do things like put faeces on the walls of the embassy and other behaviours of that nature.

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