- Julian Assange previously gave away the cat he had during his six-year stay at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, which came to an end on Thursday when he was arrested by UK police.
- The WikiLeaks founder gave away “Embassy Cat” as its “isolation became unbearable,” Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper reported.
- On Thursday, Ecuador revoked Assange’s asylum, saying its patience with him “reached its limit”.
- Assange could now face an extradition request from the US over WikiLeaks’ involvement in publishing sensitive US military documents from Chelsea Manning in 2010, and Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 presidential elections
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Julian Assange, whom UK police arrested and removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy on Thursday, reportedly gave away his beloved cat in November so it wouldn’t be trapped with him any more.
The WikiLeaks founder was arrested by British police at the Ecuadorian embassy in London after having his asylum dramatically revoked.
Assange freed the feline – known as “Embassy Cat” – as its “isolation became unbearable,” and to “allow it a healthier life,” Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported.
Until today, the WikiLeaks founder had been holed up in the embassy since August 2012 after being accused of sexual misconduct in Sweden.
He frequently posed with the cat and posted their photos to a dedicated Instagram page.
http://instagr.am/p/BFv79qijYCn
In 2016 the cat played with American documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, whom the account named "Meowchael Moore."
http://instagr.am/p/BGeShpEDYEZ
The cat's freedom comes after the Ecuadorian embassy complained about Assange's living situation. It told him to clean up after the cat, called him unhygienic, and said that his skateboarding ruins their floors.
It's not clear where the cat lives, or who it lives with now.
Read more: Ecuador's embassy is mad that Julian Assange's skateboarding habit is ruining their floors
The Ecuadorian embassy imposed new house rules on Assange in October, which included cat care, cleaning his own bathroom, and taking care of his personal hygiene.
The WikiLeaks founder sued in response, saying that the new rules were "violating his fundamental rights and freedoms." A judge said that Assange had to obey them.