Julian Assange’s Poor Hygiene Reportedly Partly To Blame For Recent Effort To Oust Him From Ecuador’s Embassy

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange reportedly suffers from sub-par hygiene, an issue that became so disturbing to Ecuadorian ambassadors to London that it played a role in Ecuador’s recent efforts to remove him from the building. As Inquisitr previously reported, authorities from Ecuador spent considerable time earlier this week attempting to negotiate a deal for Julian Assange that would allow him to remove himself from their London embassy without fear of being arrested on an outstanding U.K. warrant and potentially being extradited to the U.S. to answer for his career as a whistle-blower.

In 2012, Assange sought asylum and took up residence in Ecuador’s London embassy as he sought to evade arrest stemming from sexual assault allegations out of Sweden. According to the WikiLeaks founder, he feared that he may be extradited to the United States to face possible spying-related charges and could potentially face the death penalty. The sexual assault investigation has since been quashed, but Julian Assange still faces possible arrest in the U.K. on an outstanding warrant related to skipping bail, and the United States has refused to confirm or deny that it will seek his extradition if he is taken into custody by U.K. authorities.

The U.K. was reportedly less than willing to negotiate a consequence-less way for Assange to end his self-imposed imprisonment and rejected the diplomatic status proposed by Ecuador, although rumors are swirling that the WikiLeaks found has now been granted Ecuadorian citizenship.

“The Government of Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice.”

During this week’s negotiations with the U.K., it was discussed that Assange had begun to wear out his welcome at the Ecuador embassy in London, when he spoke out against the allies of the nation’s new president on social media several months ago. Now, Fox News is reporting that another smelly issue that played a role in the recent attempted ousting of Julian Assange is the WikiLeaks founder’s lack of personal hygiene.

As the reports of a potentially smelly Assange began to spread, so too did headlines including the mocking words “Stinkylinks,” care of the International Business Times, and “Wiki-Reeks,” that one on the landing page of the Fox News website. Despite the tongue-in-cheek reporting, a “well-placed source” close to Assange reportedly confirmed that talk about Julian Assange’s lack of cleanliness is true.

“It seems he doesn’t wash properly.”

According to reports, Assange’s cleanliness issue is so bad, it has caused multiple and repeated complaints from staff members who live and work at London’s Ecuador embassy. As part of their negotiations with the U.K., Ecuador referred to Julian Assange’s stay at the London embassy as something that has become “untenable.”

Assange is filthy inside and out

— Louise de Teliga (@lurox) January 12, 2018

#Australia Please note Look at what is happening #Assange #mentalhealth If this #truth Then isn't this a sign the man is in need of #Freedom a walk on the beach Don't turn away when he has helped Free others Please

— elpenno (@epenno) January 12, 2018

Per an International Business Times report, a remodeling project at the Ecuador embassy has “forced” embassy staff to share a single bathroom with Assange.

This isn’t the first time the reports of the WikiLeaks founder’s poor hygiene have received media attention. In 2012, Assange’s pal, Jérémie Zimmermann, claimed that “unless the people around him force [Julian] into the shower, he might not change his clothes for days.” According to close Assange aide Daniel Domscheit-Berg, his boss was notorious for using his clothing as napkins.

“Julian ate everything with his hands and he always wiped his fingers on his pants. I have never seen pants as greasy as his in my whole life.”

On January 10, a U.S. government official confirmed that bringing Julian Assange to justice is still “a priority.”

how do I nominate stinkyleaks for headline of the year https://t.co/AT9YVjNy3T

— Scafe says wear a gd mask (@erinscafe) January 12, 2018