#Counterpurrveillance: WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange reveals tiny kitten companion in embassy (PHOTO)

9 May, 2016 15:23 / Updated 9 years ago

Julian Assange now has a feline friend to keep him company inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, almost four years after he was granted asylum there.

The kitten already has a Twitter profile to detail its adventures alongside Assange. 

The kitten was gifted to Assange by his children, and like any father worth his salt, the WikiLeaks founder parades the cute pet proudly. 

READ MORE: Lawyers say Assange needs urgent medical care

So far, the furry feline is being affectionately referred to as simply “Embassy Cat” and has been keeping its nearly 1,000 followers updated on life within the embassy with witty tweets about #counterpurrveillance.

Assange, who has lived in the embassy in London since being granted asylum by Ecuador in June 2012, is wanted for questioning in Sweden over claims he sexually assaulted two women in 2010. He denies the allegations.

READ MORE: UK appeals ‘incorrect’ UN claim that Assange is under ‘arbitrary detention’

The 44-year-old, originally from Australia, has expressed concern that if he attempts to travel to Sweden, he will be extradited to the US, where he is wanted on espionage charges related to the publishing of classified documents on WikiLeaks. 

In February, a UN Working Group found that Sweden and the United Kingdom were violating Assange’s rights by detaining him without charge, and called for his release and compensation.

READ MORE: UK & Sweden ‘undermining UN’ over Assange detention – letter

Assange’s lawyers filed an application in Swedish courts to enforce the UN ruling and have asked for an oral hearing which, if accepted, could happen by the end of May.