WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange endured a “difficult” start to his stay at Ecuador’s London embassy but is now “fine” after living there for more than five months, the country’s ambassador to Britain said.
The former hacker turned up at the embassy in June in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden, where authorities want to quiz him over rape and sexual assault allegations.
Ecuador granted him asylum on August 16, but Britain has refused to grant him safe passage out of the country and he is now living in a single room within the embassy.
Ecuadoran Ambassador Ana Alban told a small group of presspersons that Assange took time to settle, but has now got used to his restricted living arrangements.
“If you have a guest in your house, you want to make sure that he’s all right,” she said.
“You can imagine how difficult it can be to have fresh air and to have sun and space.
“In the beginning it was quite difficult, but now it’s fine.”
The ambassador was speaking as French left wing politician Jean-Luc Melenchon met with Assange.